Apple Now Faces 26+ Lawsuits for 'Purposefully' or 'Secretly' Slowing Down Older iPhones

[npmacuser5]

These lawsuits end with the legal system getting 90% of the settlement, we the consumers will pay for the settlement costs with higher prices, and history shows businesses will continue to put the business first. Our Tort system a major cause of why we pay excessive prices, Healthcare an excellent example.

 

[sevvere]

The legal action comes after Apple's revelation it may at times dynamically manage the maximum performance of some older iPhone models with chemically aged batteries in order to prevent the devices from unexpectedly shutting down, an issue that can be made worse by cold temperatures or a low charge.

Macrumors carrying water for Apple again

“It may, at times,” = Apple does

“dynamically manage the maximum performance” = slow down

“of some older iPhone models” = All iPhone models 99% people still use

“with chemically aged batteries” = crap batteries

“in order to prevent the devices from unexpectedly shutting down” = said nobody ever

“an issue that can be made worse by cold temperatures or a low charge.” = normal conditions all phones have to deal with


Go back and read that one paragraph again. It’s literally ONE sentence, and it’s nothing but talking point after talking point

 

[AndyMacAndMic]

So those folks are all OK with their phones instantly shutting off when they open Facebook?

The phone suddenly shutting down shouldn't happen. I have an old Microsoft Lumia which I have to charge 2 times a day by now, but it does not shut down suddenly and it is just as speedy as bought new. On top of that: the battery is user replaceable (and only costs $20).
If other brands can do that why can't Apple?. It is simply a bad design by Apple which they try to cover up with a 'software feature' to 'protect us'.

 

[Sportcat]

You can pry my iPhone 4 from my cold dead hands!

You might get better reception if they do.

 

[DevNull0]

So those folks are all OK with their phones instantly shutting off when they open Facebook?

Apple could have put in a larger battery that would still be able to run the phone at 90% health after a couple of years. Non-apple phones have much larger batteries.

Remember Apple themselves said these batteries were still healthy and not eligible for replacement when they were unable to power the phones without throttling so the customers should replace their phones. That is going to be a major element of these lawsuits.

 

[macduke]

I've owned every iPhone and have never had this problem.

It was that moment when macduke realized he was not the right person to talk about this issue.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

So those folks are all OK with their phones instantly shutting off when they open Facebook?

...well when you put it that way.

 

[tylerthomas28]

So those folks are all OK with their phones instantly shutting off when they open Facebook?

They absolutely should be because that’s the perfect signal to replace ones battery. Instead of getting unannounced “features” that gimp ones device to make you desire a new phone.

 

[viperGTS]

Yes, then people would be complaining their phones cost too much.

People act like they are owed something. Surprise, you aren't owed a damn thing. Don't like Apple or what they do? Simple, don't buy their products.

Wow, way to completely avoid the issue by replacing it with a non-existent one.

News flash: iPhones (excluding the X) cost as much as their competitors. The only thing stopping Apple from placing higher quality batteries in their devices is to satisfy profit margins, aka greed.

Also, thanks for LITERALLY proving your original quoted post as nothing more than mere apology; you admitted higher quality batteries exist.

 

[jasonklee]

You've cited software throttling the CPU from iOS 10.2.1. I'm asking you for a source on:



There is a difference between software and hardware. Hardware is the battery itself. Software is iOS.

I'm just wondering what source you have that they skimped on battery quality from the iPhone 6.

Nuance isn't necessary. Apple's tech-laden spin is boring compared to the fake outrage we can all indulge in. Voltage and battery decomposition and whatever else. No one cares. Rather, let us delight in an alternate theory that Apple is trying to upsell us to newer toys. Not only does it allow us to engage in emotionally reasoning, but it allows us to be dishonest. Apple claims they diminish CPU speed since iOS 10.2.1 or whatever. Yet, users have been theorizing planned obsolescence way, way before iOS 10. And supposedly this slowdown happens only when a battery has decomposed enough, not when a user upgrades to the newest iOS version. Nevertheless, it is more comforting to think Apple has been slowing down phones way before iOS 10 and it happens upon updating, not battery condition.

 

[aliensporebomb]

So those folks are all OK with their phones instantly shutting off when they open Facebook?

Facebook is a bigger battery drainer than anything Apple produced. Why aren't they included in a class action suit for having microphones running to listen to you to aim advertising at you? I mean seriously.

 

[Jesse Waugh]

I get it Apple could have been more clear about the changes they made to power management but that doesn't mean they were slowing peoples phones down get them to buy new ones.

I'll never understand that kind of denialism.

 

[robertcoogan]

This might be why Cessium is having severe issues with performance lag.

 

[AndyMacAndMic]

Why are no such lawsuits being filed against Microsoft, Dell and other companies who have been implementing same feature to prevent unexpected laptop shutdowns?

I have a Microsoft Lumia 650, more than 3 years old. It is just as speedy as bought new. The battery has to be charged around 2 times a day by now, which is normal for a >3 year old battery, but there is no throttling at all. On top of that: The battery is user replaceable and only costs 20 bucks. The whole situation with the Nokia battery is completely transparent. Explain to me why I have to file a lawsuit against Microsoft?

 

[gnipgnop]

Part of the problem is that even MacRumors isn't correctly reporting what Apple said some of the time:

"Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components."

That "or" is important to remember. Or as they age over time. A brand new battery could have problems supplying power to the CPU on low charge or in the cold. That's the case for an iPhone or an Android phone. The limitations of lithium ion technology are a constant. They don't change based on what brand is applied to the phone.

 

[justperry]

Sure there is. Make them user replaceable, like they should be.

I think you have to read that again.

 

[aliensporebomb]

Didn’t used to happen. They skimped on battery quality from iPhone 6 up.

I dispute this - I think the battery quality has remained much the same and the clock speed has increased on the processors. Something has to give somewhere. If battery chemistry technology kept pace with silicon frequency technology we might not be having these discussions. Or maybe we would.

 

[Col4bin]

Let's see...I've owned the following iPhone models over the past 9 years: 3GS, 4S, 6, 7S Plus, X. (Not to mention numerous iPads.) If these class action suits proceed, curious of the monetary compensation that I the consumer would stand to gain?

My wallet is ready!

 

[Nicksd84]

So those folks are all OK with their phones instantly shutting off when they open Facebook?

No. But they should’ve been clear a simple battery swap would return your phone to normal. Hiding it was a problem.

 

[corebeliefs]

MacRumors is a good site because it reports the bad and the good about being an Apple customer. Keep it up!!

 

[TMRJIJ]

They can use higher quality batteries like Samsung, which retain a majority of their capacity after 500 charging cycles, for starters.

I have used numerous devices with lithium batteries. They all degrade over time and are very sensitive to certain chargers. I’ve had three Samsung phones that had shut down issues after roughly two years.
The lawsuit is about Apple failing to inform customers that they throttle performance to prevent shut downs; not on the battery itself. So no, this will not lead to improved iPhones nor solve the underlying issue as the OP mentioned.

 

[joeblough]

Did they start using cheaper batteries? Did they realize they shipped a lot of faulty batteries, and instead of owning up to it they tried to fix it via software?

to me, this is possible. i had the battery in my iPhone6 replaced in march 2017 because battery life was poor. performance was always fine under ios10. then i installed ios11 and performance went to hell. my battery is only 9 months old, but on average the phone seems to spend all its time at 840Mhz. and to be honest, the throttling only loosely correlates with the battery's state of charge.

so i wonder if they knew they had a bunch of bad batteries and throttled performance so it would not become apparent thru shutdowns.

 

[apb87]

It's not based on cycle counts. Proof? 2 out of the 3 conditions that Apple mentions in regards to potential voltage issues with the battery are not due to battery age...low charge and cold. iOS is looking for large peaks/valleys in power draw relative to the voltage available to the CPU.

That was just my own observation. I have no proof other than it didn't happen for a long period of time after I bought my 6S (release through summer of 2017), and hasn't happened again in the past ~7 months since the battery was replaced.

Having previously owned a 3GS, and 4S that I used for at least 2 years each, the phones "appeared" to get slower and more laggy due to the newer features and more complex software in later releases (as any other computer would), but didn't ever arbitrarily shut down, nor have a sudden 50% performance benchmark drop running on the same release.

 

[TMRJIJ]

Sure there is. Make them user replaceable, like they should be.

You’ll still have to buy another battery regardless which will eventually degrade as well.

 

[DevNull0]

Apple have been caught with their pants down on this one. Best to own up and offer free battery replacements.

That won't be good enough. What about all the people who were told by geniuses that a battery replacement wouldn't fix the slowdown so they have to buy a new phone and then did buy the new phone.

Not to mention that the battery is undersized for all the phones from the 6 forward which is why the problem exists, free battery replacements won't help at all unless Apple is prepared to offer free annual replacements for the life of the phones.

Remember when the 6 came out and Timmy was on stage holding it sideways asking if the audience could even see the phone because it was so thin? In their effort for too thin they made the battery too small and now it's come back to bite them. Apple needs to bleed over this.