Apple Being Sued for 'Purposefully Slowing Down Older iPhone Models' [Updated]

[826317]

Apple did; did you read? They introduced throttling to the iPhone 7 when the iPhone X and 8 came out, and they said they plan to enable this for future devices.

Did you read my comment?

This article states that the people filing the lawsuit are claiming that Apple are slowing down their devices once newer models come out. Suggesting that it has nothing to do with the battery and purely with the fact that a new device has been released. Which is not true.

 

[blackcrayon]

Wrong sucka! iPhone 6 was released in September of 2014. Barely over 3 years old. iOS10 was smooth. 11 is making it lag, even opening built-in Apple apps. And I just replaced my battery, so can’t use that argument.

3 years old is a fairly long time for a smartphone. And the iPhone 6 only had 1 GB of RAM, the 6S was a very large leap over it in terms of "longevity" because the A9 was a big jump plus double the memory. You could probably do some sleuthing with Instruments but I'm guessing that's too constructive vs. whining that an old phone is slow.

 

[iapplelove]

I’ve never had a problem with my devices becoming slower. It is what it is.

 

[DotCom2]

How about not putting a software update nag message that cant be avoided and forcing users to upgrade to a degrading performance operating environment for their phone or allowing users to downgrade their f'n iOS if they experience degraded performance. Its just that simples.

Do you know how many MILLIONS of people would be saying, "What the heck does THIS mean?" And the phone calls that would ensue? I know I would be getting calls from several (not in the know) people asking ME what to do here. People just want their phones to work and don't want to think about how to do ANYTHING and making choices. That is Apple's intent in the first place.

 

[Phonephreak]

Yes, simply because the phone becomes insecure.

That’s a completely different thing. You know it too. Now your really reaching.

 

[Precision Gem]

So now that we know that Apple will slow down your phone once a new phone is available with a new version of IOS, I wonder how many people will be quick to update to the latest operating system? For years Apple would brag how such a high percent of their users are on the latest operating system while Android users are a version or two back. I bet this changes now. I know I won't be quick to update.

 

[2128506]

Apple, one of the richest companies in the world should be able to keep a good performing experience on all their devices in all iterations of the supported OS. Any excuse here is just the result of corporate greed.

Bingo!

They are perfectly capable of creating version of iOS for older models, with less animations/translucency/etc. OS itself is not that CPU-hungry, it's because of shiny UI things for Timmy-boy.

 

[Phonephreak]

If your phone is susceptible to particularly nasty malware, for which a resolution exists, but you are denied it by not getting an update... Then yes, "Android" not updating effectively cripples your phone. Or makes it very dangerous to actually use.

I used an android phone for several years. Never had any problems. Insecure and crippled are two totally deserving different things.

 

[2128506]

And then should should give us all back massages.

Considering the markup they're charging for child-labour-assembled chinese devices I think a blowjob might be in order.

 

[MacLawyer]

To me, throttling down a phone with a near dead battery so it doesn't quit in the middle of something makes sense. Replace the dying battery and go on with your life.

 

[Kmart9419]

Why people expecting 4 year old iPhones will work smooth and fast with the latest iOS? let alone expecting old battery to work like new one??

With or without Apple “treatment” this is the nature of any old devices n’ batteries. If someone would like to keep their phones for many years to come, they shouldn't update to the latest iOS version whenever they coming out and replace the battery every second year.

PS, at least Apple supporting old phones for few years unlike some Android phones...

My two iPhone 6 and 6s plus works great after battery change. Like new. New features in iPhone are minuscule, some people think Apple is adding some hugely complex computational bitcoin mining features to the phone or something. Adding Apple Pay cash is not complex. Adding iMessage skins and drawings is not complex. Nothing changed on the home screen so why scrolling pages of icons slowed and got glitchy? Well, happy to say, after changing batteries, the home screen scrolling issue is gone and keyboard doesn’t take forever to open in iMessage.

Some of us don’t want to update to new iOS expecting the horrors that comes with it. Apple can help with that by not nagging me every day and asking me to punch in my lock code.

Batteries die. Everybody knows that. Nobody is asking for a new battery. People fully expect 4 hours or less of use in 3-4 years. It’s on them to replace. But crippling my hardware without telling me is a big no no. They couldn’t even be discreet about it and drop speed by 10-20% which should be more than adequate to fix voltage issues. But no, they drop by 60%. Turns my phone 6 into a iPhone 4. Enough to aggravate me into upgrading. I hope the EU comes down hard on it with a massive multi billion dollar fine.

 

[jujufreeze]

This is no longer Steve Job's Apple. It's Tim Cook's race to the bottom and nothing's off the table- from slowing down year old phones like a disposable jewelry factory to record delays between mac updates and becoming a phone company that ignores content creators because they aren't profitable enough in the short term.

 

[Jcxa]

Interestingly the focus is on the pros and cons of various technical flimflammery Apple uses in its designs. The bottom line, and it has always been Apple's touchstone, has been the Customer's experience. Clearly there has been a major FAIL here. Apple's weak attempts at protecting the Customer's experience appear to be self serving at best; but honestly, grievously wounds the Customer experience. Apple has committed a big NO-NO, they have damaged customers' trust in Apple.

 

[Phonephreak]

I agree with Apple. Here's why:

Every device needs power management. Most devices have power management. Balancing performance with battery life will continue to be a problem until we develop new battery technology. Until then, I'd rather have lower performance while my battery is low than force itself to run at full speed, thus creating all sorts of problems. My laptop does this, my desktop does this, and my phone does this.

This lawsuit is nothing more than a cheap cash-grab by clueless consumers without any technological knowledge, experience, or even patience. But you know the old American adage: "If you can't fix it, sue someone."

No. It’s about being giving the choice to run with poor battery life and occasional crashes. Or use a phone that’s performance is cut up to 50%. Then not replacing batteries for customers who are willing to pay for it. Horrible customer service. This might be the thing that will cause me to leave Apple. 8 Apple devices to be replaced. I love the eco system. But to not replace a battery for a customer that is willing to pay for it. STUPID

 

[ecopod]

So... you aren’t interested in software updates that add new features? How about security updates that make iPhones a leader by a huge margin in security, not interested in that either? Your statement is insane. When you buy from Apple you aren’t just buying the hardware. You are paying a premium for their software above anything else.

Thats not quite right though is it, above anything else you are paying for the largest mark up from any tech company, the software costs are on a par with other manufacturers (according to various analytical sites) and are a fraction of the phones cost.

Apple has been caught out, best they just man up and deal with it correctly going forward.

 

[LovingTeddy]

Yes, simply because the phone becomes insecure.

No it doesn't. It is not more insecure as before. And buddy... Android has come long way, many Android OEMs provide monthly Google Security Updates.

It is not like hell blowing with Android world.

 

[barkomatic]

I agree with Apple. Here's why:

Every device needs power management. Most devices have power management. Balancing performance with battery life will continue to be a problem until we develop new battery technology. Until then, I'd rather have lower performance while my battery is low than force itself to run at full speed, thus creating all sorts of problems. My laptop does this, my desktop does this, and my phone does this.

This lawsuit is nothing more than a cheap cash-grab by clueless consumers without any technological knowledge, experience, or even patience. But you know the old American adage: "If you can't fix it, sue someone."

Nope, this lawsuit has legs and I wouldn't be surprised if this doesn't trigger regulatory pressure from the E.U. as well.

I spent nearly $1500 on my iPhone X with AppleCare and the possibility that it might be *intentionally* slowed down by Apple in as little as a year is completely unacceptable. I would not accept this situation on any other new electronic device.

At the least, Apple needs to offer battery replacement on demand for a fee if their phones experience "power management". Since degraded performance was involuntarily imposed upon customers on older iPhones then they deserve a free battery replacement if that is the only course of action that restores peak performance to their phones.

Apple deserves to be taken to the cleaners over this. This is a betrayal of trust.

 

[Bacillus]

Anyway, now I lol for kicking Forstall because of AppleMaps. How many employees should be kicked now? Where is the plublic excuse directed to customers? If they try to excuse months or weeks later, this won’t be an acceptable excuse at all.

Psssht... Don't disturb Tim Cook. He's busy commissioning Chinese Internet freedom of speech.
Don't disturb Joni. He's investigating more glass in a phone.
Don't disturb Craig and Phil. They're busy investigating bug fixes to become features.
All in all, it was just another bad week...

 

[magbarn]

3 years old is a fairly long time for a smartphone. And the iPhone 6 only had 1 GB of RAM, the 6S was a very large leap over it in terms of "longevity" because the A9 was a big jump plus double the memory. You could probably do some sleuthing with Instruments but I'm guessing that's too constructive vs. whining that an old phone is slow.

What I find also amusing is the same posters defending Apple's behavior with this fiasco are pretty much same type of posters who defended Apple's cheapness to cripple the 6 with only 1gb of ram. "You only need 1gb of ram". "Apple's superior memory management makes 1gb as good 2gb" "2gb of ram drains the battery so much faster" cow-dung and so forth...

 

[boswald]

I choose to deal with it because old devices perform worse as software becomes more complex. I don’t expect a 6S to perform as well as an 8, let alone an X.

Should my battery die, I will order a replacement from iFixit (or wherever). My wsrranty will be expired long before then anyway, and I’m not purchasing AppleCare for an old device.

 

[Bacillus]

If your phone is susceptible to particularly nasty malware, for which a resolution exists, but you are denied it by not getting an update... Then yes, "Android" not updating effectively cripples your phone. Or makes it very dangerous to actually use.

Then tell us about any security breaches with any serious damage...?

 

[31 Flavas]

I did not consent to have my battery degrade over time, nor did I consent to allow Apple software to intelligently adjust to its degradation.

Wow. When you find a phone with a battery that does not degrade over time let me know. Because Android owners keep barking about how necessary being able to replace their own degraded battery is.

 

[a.gomez]

Anyone who believes the battery life BS is insane. We all seen this - nothing to do with batteries.

 

[Georgi]

CPU Dasher said my cpu is working at 1600MHz, and my GB4 score for the multi core went down from 6040 to 4500.

Here you go:
View attachment 743367 View attachment 743368

I don’t think that’s normal for a phone that still has 92 capacity of the battery.

Continuing the test I do. My battery is at 30% charge at this state, and the cpu’s clock keeps going down. So the throttle is depending on the current percentage of the battery, not on the “wearing”.

When my battery is at 100%, the cpu is at it’s peak state - 2350MHz.

 

[Stella]

I suspect lawsuit(s) will force Apple to be more transparent and maybe add user options to iOS to control battery / performance balances.

Nope, this lawsuit has legs and I wouldn't be surprised if this doesn't trigger regulatory pressure from the E.U. as well.

I spent nearly $1500 on my iPhone X with AppleCare and the possibility that it might be *intentionally* slowed down by Apple as little as a year is completely unacceptable. I would not accept this situation on any other new electronic device.

At the least, Apple needs to offer battery replacement on demand for a fee if their phones experience "power management". Since degraded performance was involuntarily imposed upon customers on older iPhones then they deserve a free battery replacement if that is the only course of action that restores peak performance to their phones.

Apple deserves to be taken to the cleaners over this. This is a betrayal of trust.