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

[mmm1345]

Apple haters have been missing the point for decades.

Even though I own 2 maxed out Apple TVs, 2 Maxed out Macbook Pros (2012 and 2015 both 1tb SSDs, 16 GB ram and whatever the fastest processor available at the time), a maxed out iPad Air (128GB with Cellular) and a maxed out iPhone 6s (128), I'm automatically an Apple "Hater" just because I'm able to actually see things that are wrong with this company and I don't BLINDLY WORSHIP them? Ok, you just proved my point and everything wrong with fanboys. Apparently you don't want your products to be better and don't sit there and tell me everything you have is "Perfect."

 

[justperry]

Imagine a car that you bought that did 50 miles to the gallon.
Without telling you, a year after purchase, a software update was applied to the car, and the owner was told this was to keep the car safe and up to date.
They you find out the car now only does 35 miles to the gallon.

Later on you discover, the car maker, changed engine settings for some reason THEY felt was better.

Would you be happy, or would you feel you should have been told this was going to happen, and they should have no right do do this to the car you own, without full disclosure, as you have no way of reverting to how it was after you found out.

Your car analogy doesn't make any sense.

More like car electronics controller gets an update cause the battery is failing, now the maximum output of your lights are set to a lower percentage.

 

[617660]

Your argument does not make sense. As the saying goes - fool me once...

If I had a product that broke down quickly after purchase, why would I continue to shop from the same vendor? In what bizarro world do people see their phone slow down after a year and think - wow, this phone gets old fast. Better get another one from the same company which sold me this crappy phone rather than start shopping around for alternatives.

This is exactly what the vast majority of idevice users do. The solution to a slowed-down idevice often results in the purchase of a brand new idevice.

There are people who can't see themselves using anything other than apple products.

 

[Vytas Vytautas]

Why are customers OK with what apple did?

The sold a product with a battery that in a fairly short period of time could no longer power the device, in fact the device would shut off. So instead of fixing hardware, they slowed down the device using software.

If I run 4K Final Cut render on my brand new 15" MBP with 30% battery life what do you think happens? It throttles, because battery cannot provide juice CPU and GPU is asking for. Since when this is news? And that is NEW battery, but it is a problem if Apple limits CPU speed of your old device so that you can still use the device and receive messages, calls till the time you replace the battery.

And it only happens if their software update determines that your battery has really degraded too much which depends on your usage and conditions the battery is used in. My 6S Plus is fine, i have tested.

But we are talking about social media. There is no need to be correct these days only to be first.
[doublepost=1514129168][/doublepost]

This is exactly what the vast majority of idevice users do. The solution to a slowed-down idevice often results in the purchase of a brand new idevice.

There are people who can't see themselves using anything other than apple products.

Where is your evidence that it causes people to purchase new devices? Changing battery seems cheaper and fast.

 

[Akagi]

I wonder what happened behind the scenes at Apple with regards with this issue. I’m not even talking about the technical side of whether the fix was good. Considering that the decision they took at the time could lead to a possibility of a PR fallout and class action lawsuits. Even if they expected to win the lawsuits Apple is usually smart enough to try to get ahead of any problem before it even gets to that stage. I feel either the legal or PR team messed up here.

 

[Vytas Vytautas]

Even though I own 2 maxed out Apple TVs, 2 Maxed out Macbook Pros (2012 and 2015 both 1tb SSDs, 16 GB ram and whatever the fastest processor available at the time), a maxed out iPad Air (128GB with Cellular) and a maxed out iPhone 6s (128), I'm automatically an Apple "Hater" just because I'm able to actually see things that are wrong with this company and I don't BLINDLY WORSHIP them? Ok, you just proved my point and everything wrong with fanboys. Apparently you don't want your products to be better and don't sit there and tell me everything you have is "Perfect."

First of all i don't know what you own and i don't care and second just because i agree with Apple on something doesn't mean i worship them. Reasonable people debate with evidence and facts which i haven't heard from you.

 

[mmm1345]

This is exactly what the vast majority of idevice users do. The solution to a slowed-down idevice is often a new idevice.

There are people who can't see themselves using anything other than apple products.

Or maybe it's because some of us just HATE Android and Windows! Not everyone are idiots just because we don't like what you TELL US we're supposed to.

From the 3GS onward my iPhone and iPads have always worked flawlessly which is why I have them. I jumped off the constant upgrade bandwagon with the iPad Air and my iPhone 6s because they were great products and there was no reason to upgrade until this year when both devices mysteriously just started acting like buggy pieces of garbage. I thought maybe it was just me and I try to keep devices for at least 4 yrs to justify the high purchase price, so I thought, eh it's been over 3 yrs, maybe it's time to upgrade. But now we know this was done on purpose. And I'm P'ED and very disappointed in Apple taking this direction, this means going forward anything you buy from them will have a two year shelf life.
[doublepost=1514129484][/doublepost]

First of all i don't know what you own and i don't care and second just because i agree with Apple on something doesn't mean i worship them. Reasonable people debate with evidence and facts which i haven't heard from you.

Hmm... Laughable, considering you called me a hater just because I disagree. That's not being reasonable, so my response to tell you I OWN numerous Apple Products to disprove your silly statement was perfectly reasonable.

 

[617660]

If I run 4K Final Cut render on my brand new 15" MBP with 30% battery life what do you think happens? It throttles, because battery cannot provide juice CPU and GPU is asking for. Since when this is news? And that is NEW battery, but it is a problem if Apple limits CPU speed of your old device so that you can still use the device and receive messages, calls till the time you replace the battery.

And it only happens if their software update determines that your battery has really degraded too much which depends on your usage and conditions the battery is used in. My 6S Plus is fine, i have tested.

But we are talking about social media. There is no need to be correct these days only to be first.
[doublepost=1514129168][/doublepost]
Where is your evidence that it causes people to purchase new devices? Changing battery seems cheaper and fast.

That is wrong.

Your mac doesn't have to throttle. Just go to setting and set up you want full speed regardless of battery status, it will run at full speed.

You are already wrong here. But sure you feel the need to drag down the social media and everyone else.

 

[Vytas Vytautas]

Or maybe it's because some of us just HATE Android and Windows! Not everyone are idiots just because we don't like what you TELL US we're supposed to.

From the 3GS onward my iPhone and iPads have always worked flawlessly which is why I have them. I jumped off the constant upgrade bandwagon with the iPad Air and my iPhone 6s because they were great products and there was no reason to upgrade until this year when both devices mysteriously just started acting like buggy pieces of garbage. I thought maybe it was just me and I try to keep devices for at least 4 yrs to justify the high purchase price, so I thought, eh it's been over 3 yrs, maybe it's time to upgrade. But now we know this was done on purpose. And I'm P'ED and very disappointed in Apple taking this direction, this means going forward anything you buy from them will have a two year shelf life.
[doublepost=1514129484][/doublepost]

Hmm... Laughable, considering you called me a hater just because I disagree. That's not being reasonable, so my response to tell you I OWN numerous Apple Products to disprove your silly statement was perfectly reasonable.

Only after you called everyone who agrees with Apple sheep and worshipers, so please ...
[doublepost=1514129840][/doublepost]

That is wrong.

Your mac doesn't have to throttle. Just go to setting and set up you want full speed regardless of battery status, it will run at full speed.

You are already wrong here. But sure you feel the need to drag down social media and everyone else.

No it won't. This is a known issue. Settings do not override laws of physics unfortunately.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

The only resolution necessary is for Apple to officially consider batteries which result in crashing (now, slowdowns) as in need of replacement.

The problem is that these same batteries are checking out as "good" on Apple's battery diagnostics, which means you can't get them replaced by Apple.

There is no problem with Apple's solution to the crashing issue, nor is it Apple's fault that batteries wear out and can no longer supply their rated voltage (just the nature of battery tech). They just need to make their warranty battery coverage match this situation.

My 6+ battery life was down to nearly less than a whole day. I drove over 2 hours to the 'local Apple Store', and presented said device, and they tested it, and said 'It's fine. It's just old.' I said that I wanted to get the battery swapped, and the genius said that my money would be better spent on upgrading to the new model, and not in swapping the battery in a phone already over three years old. He did have a point, but I found it a little nasty to be told by an Apple employee that I was being 'ridiculous' (my word) for wanting to replace the battery.

So, either the test is wrong, the interpretation is wrong, or I really was being 'stupid' (my word again) for wanting to keep my 6+ for a few more years, maybe one year tops.

Batteries have historically been an issue with Apple. It's either the heat in the case of the MacBook Pros, or the small thin batteries in the iPhones and iPods. (Do iPads have such issues?)

Apple can't be the 'Battery Fairy' and give everyone a free battery every time they want one, but they also should be, in my opinion, a little more responsive and helpful when their customers have issues with batteries. And if they are trying to imply that the $79 battery swap fee isn't an appropriate price for the battery swap, then they need to fess up, and up the price, if that's why they are so hesitant to swap them even with customers paying for it.

Throttling makes some sense, but it was like that time when people bought iBook content and had it disappear without any notification. The invisible reach around to 'help the customer' needs to be way more obvious, and the explanations for its necessity need to be communicated a whole lot better too.

I mean, how would people react to their car losing the ability to go over 70 because 'it's old' and the engine has to work harder and it's not up to original specs, or not start in colder mornings because of the age of the vehicle? That would be BONKERS!

 

[magicschoolbus]

GO GET EM!!!

Can we sue Apple for falsely marketing themselves as a green company too?

 

[opfreak]

If I run 4K Final Cut render on my brand new 15" MBP with 30% battery life what do you think happens? It throttles, because battery cannot provide juice CPU and GPU is asking for. Since when this is news? And that is NEW battery, but it is a problem if Apple limits CPU speed of your old device so that you can still use the device and receive messages, calls till the time you replace the battery.

And it only happens if their software update determines that your battery has really degraded too much which depends on your usage and conditions the battery is used in. My 6S Plus is fine, i have tested.

But we are talking about social media. There is no need to be correct these days only to be first.
[doublepost=1514129168][/doublepost]
Where is your evidence that it causes people to purchase new devices? Changing battery seems cheaper and fast.

Then your mac is broken. my dell xps with a 67% battery still hits turbo CPU levels and sustains them.

Stop making excuses for a company that covered up a defect.

 

[Vytas Vytautas]

Then your mac is broken. my dell xps with a 67% battery still hits turbo CPU levels and sustains them.

Stop making excuses for a company that covered up a defect.

67% is not 30% and capacity is different.

 

[firewood]

No it’s not

Geekbench was used to reveal this mess in the first place ...

What makes you think either the geekbench or dasher clock frequency numbers are real, and not fake and made up?

 

[furi0usbee]

LOL. Can't wait to read all the Apple Apologists... "I'm glad Apple is slowing down my phone. This will allow the technology to last that much longer in my hands." In related comments, I'm waiting to see "I'm glad my employer is reducing my wages. This will allow them to keep me employed that much longer." Both Apple and my employer only want what is best for me....

It could not at all be that Apple wants you to sell/trade your "slow" iPhone for a brand new, shiny iPhone.... not in a million years. Apple is only about the customer, and not only in it for profit. Apple Care(s), for a price.

 

[mmm1345]

What makes you think either the geekbench or dasher clock frequency numbers are real, and not fake and made up?

Because it's what the tools are designed to do, why would they be "fake" and "made up?" I guess you missed or are ignoring the part where Apple admitted this was happening? Which was discovered because of tools like Geekbench.... But yeah, fake.

 

[617660]

Only after you called everyone who agrees with Apple sheep and worshipers, so please ...
[doublepost=1514129840][/doublepost]
No it won't. This is a known issue. Settings do not override laws of physics unfortunately.

The fact that users don't have a way to control throttling on Mac OS is simply due to apple not wanting users to tinker with it. There are ways to accomplish this on windows platform.

 

[opfreak]

Only after you called everyone who agrees with Apple sheep and worshipers, so please ...
[doublepost=1514129840][/doublepost]
No it won't. This is a known issue. Settings do not override laws of physics unfortunately.

It' not just physics. Its bad design

 

[blackdogaudio]

Then your mac is broken. my dell xps with a 67% battery still hits turbo CPU levels and sustains them.

Stop making excuses for a company that covered up a defect.

But your laptop does not suffer the obsession with thinness that we demand from today's smartphones so I suspect it has a battery that's not limited by technology when used in thin form factor devices.

Just a guess here of course...

 

[thelatinist]

This is outrageous. I have been using my iPhone 6+ for almost four years now. I have twice replaced the battery when it started to shut down unexpectedly. Both times I paid Apple to do the replacement. I now have a nearly new battery in my phone, and before the upgrade to iOS 11 it was working just fine. But now I learn that Apple has deliberately slowed down my device and that the stutter and app freezing are not a bug that Apple will fix but a "feature" that they imposed on me. I am so angry now that I could spit.

At the very least, Apple needs to make this a toggle-able feature in settings so that those of us who've invested in maintaining our devices can receive the benefits of our investment.

 

[opfreak]

But your laptop does not suffer the obsession with thinness that we demand from today's smartphones so I suspect it has a battery that's not limited by technology when used in thin form factor devices.

Just a guess here of course...

Did a anyone demand phones to get this thin? Or just one person: ivy.

 

[Neonblue]

From a user who is ignorant of the insides of an iPhone; my iPhone 6S is a great device and can do all the tasks I need, yet I’ve been resisting to to buy a new device for several months due to it being completely unuseable. I can’t take one photo without losing 5-10% of battery, 15 minutes of usage and Ill see the battery drop from 100-50%. Tasks which once took milliseconds, now take several seconds, and I have just regular simple Apps, nothing heavy. I do think I’ve been deceived...and I’m almost £1k out of pocket for wanting to purchase the X which I’m told by Apple is faster, more reliable.

 

[grkm3]

Its amusing how some are ok with apple doing this.

If this was Samsung heads would be rolling

 

[firewood]

Because it's what the tools are designed to do, why would they be "fake" and "made up?" I guess you missed or are ignoring the part where Apple admitted this was happening? Which was discovered because of tools like Geekbench.... But yeah, fake.

(1). There is no public API in iOS or ARM user mode instruction that reports the actual processor clock frequency.
(2). The Apple admission says nothing about clock frequency. Go back and read it.

So, yes, possibly fake.

 

[Seanthesheep]

Users: “why you slow our phones down?!”

Apple: “your battery can’t hold the charge necessary for some tasks. We want you to use your phone for longer.”

Users: “can you believe Apple just wants us to buy more phones?! Let’s sue!!”

I think the issue here is Apple kept it hidden that they were doing this. Had people of known they could make an informed decision that no they did not need to buy a new phone for grand, they can simply buy a battery replacement. Furthermore Apple tech support was advising people that the phone is old and they need to get a new one. Rather than passing on that it simply needs a battery replacement to return it to normal.

I’m sorry but Apple knew what they were doing and deserve to be sued.