It's one thing to install malware. It's another to de-prioritize development resources for optimizing performance on older architectures. One's malfeasance. The other is "smart" business.
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iPhone 17 Does Apple install malware to slow your old phone down?
- Thread starter Merkava_4
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FeliApple
macrumors 601
I thought I was clear but maybe not: the iPhone Xʀ has never been updated. It still runs its original iOS version, iOS 12.
I don’t get Apple malware on my iOS devices because I don’t update them. Funnily enough, I have two iPhone 6s. One is flawlessly running iOS 10, the other one is updated and therefore garbage. I have a direct comparison, both 6s, both running native versions of iOS. One updated with garbage battery life, the other one not updated with a battery that has like 60% health and running flawlessly.
My own experience tells me that Apple ships irreversible malware. I avoid it by staying behind until compatibility forces me to buy a new device. It is what it is. If developers weren’t garbage enough to keep removing compatibility or if Apple shipped quality iOS updates I wouldn’t have this issue.
Nekomichi
macrumors 6502
The video is likely a hoax, there have been several similar videos where people claim to be former employees of big companies and want to expose something but those all turned out to be people making stuff up for views. Having worked in a similar space before, I can say for certain that a company as big as Apple will have a kind of NDA in place especially for when people leave that prevents them from discussing internal matters like this. If you ever see any videos on social media from someone claiming to be from some famous group and exposing some secret, chances are they're LARPing.
FeliApple
macrumors 601
Perhaps it’s your own Apple store! Every Apple store I’ve been to has had people that have treated me excellently. I have no complaints about any employees throughout multiple countries. That said, I haven’t typically gone there for support barring a new device with a broken LCD (the updated 6s’ “predecessor! developed a while line on the LCD within 24 hours and had to be replaced), so maybe that’s the reason.
You’re more likely to experience issues if you go for support than if you go to buy a new device. Suggesting to buy a new phone to replace a tertiary iPhone is ridiculous. It’s as if they suggested a new iPhone to replace my iPhone 8 which I use sporadically for music, ridiculous, I have 5 other iPhones I can use for that.
I haven’t challenged Apple employees either, except once: I went to buy the 11th-gen iPad I have that had been released two days earlier only to be told it didn’t exist. I said it did and they sold me one.
Maybe that is evolving. Looks like the most recent Microsoft Windows 11 approved list starts 2017+ Intel/AMD.
By your logic, your device has malware unless you have a 2007 1st generation.
that's only a half truth. They were slowing processors to prevent phones from overtaxing old batteries. A simply battery replacement actually reverted to higher speeds. So the entire thing was to prevent the phenomena where phones with older batteries would have the phantom drops from 30% to shutting off. Their mistake was they should have notified people or given people an option, not just simply done it. Now we have the popup where it tells us it's going to conserve mode.
v0lume4
macrumors 68030
I don't think malware is the word to use, but Apple's updates absolutely slow down older devices over time, sometimes to the point of nearly bricking them. Sometimes it's hard not to suspect it's malicious, whether that's true or not. But yes, updates absolutely slow down devices over time. iPhone, iPads, and Macs.
Source: 16 years of experience with Apple devices between myself, friends, and family.
Source: 16 years of experience with Apple devices between myself, friends, and family.
The fact is —- newer Apple software will ALWAYS slow down older devices. It’s always been this way since forever.
And the new software “features” never can explain why the device is slow at doing absolutely everything.
So whether it is intentional or not, (you choose) it’s a fact and will happen again in the future. Bank on it.
The reason behind it doesn’t really matter (evil corp or more demanding processes) - the device is going to get slower if you keep on updating software.
That’s all you need to know.
And the new software “features” never can explain why the device is slow at doing absolutely everything.
So whether it is intentional or not, (you choose) it’s a fact and will happen again in the future. Bank on it.
The reason behind it doesn’t really matter (evil corp or more demanding processes) - the device is going to get slower if you keep on updating software.
That’s all you need to know.
eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
If all that is true, then with the exception of my iPhone 4s on iOS 9, I wonder why all my other iPhones are NOT slow.
My wife has the same phone as me, but she’s on iOS 17 and I’m on latest - her phone lags more than mine (and her battery health is worse). Battery issue not a “malware” issue.
Wanted797
macrumors 68020
The irony here is that throttling was actual a brilliant idea in terms of user experience. A slightly slower load is better than and unexpected shut down. But what they failed to do was explain it and allow it be disabled.
pjschmid
macrumors member
FeliApple
macrumors 601
Obviously not. Original iOS versions are for the device and optimised for it. When you are used to running original versions like me, you notice.
FeliApple
macrumors 601
This is the one point I concede to Apple. They can and have disabled outdated devices: every device with an A9 processor running iOS 9 has been disabled by Apple servers and forced to update. The reason is unknown because this happened some years after release (I was first hit by it on my 9.7-inch iPad Pro running iOS 9 in 2019, 3.5 years after launch) and therefore not many people were affected (pretty much everyone updates). Some people have theorized that there was some radiation issue with A9 devices and iOS 9 so Apple just forced everyone out, but it’s just a theory. The real reason is unknown and Apple and transparency don’t go together.
However… they don’t do it! They could very easily, right now, they’ll just tell their servers to deactivate anything and everything that isn’t on the latest supported iOS version, just like they did with iOS 9. They don’t do it. The second they do is the second I get rid of every Apple device and never buy anything from them again. The cornerstone of my iOS experience is running original iOS versions. If Apple forbids this, I’m out. I’m glad they don’t, and barring that one A9 time (I lost two original-version devices) that never happened to me again.
So with the caveat and knowledge that you will eventually have to upgrade because developers are utterly pathetic garbage, it is possible for users to stay behind, upgrade when compatibility suffers too much, rinse and repeat. That’s what I do and there are no issues.
So users are at fault too for updating. You don’t help anything too much by updating and always complaining afterwards, you inflate adoption numbers which tell Apple that users are basically okay with this (which they are).
con2apple
macrumors 6502
Malware is designed to actively damage the system. The new operating systems don’t do that.
What Apple is failing to do, however, is optimize the new systems for older devices. In other words, Apple’s inaction is causing the problems.
You might be familiar with this from graphics cards. NVIDIA releases updates almost weekly to adjust the graphics card’s performance and settings for a new game. It has happened before that a new update made a game run 30% faster or slower.
So no, a “developer” who claims Apple is developing malware to slow down old systems has no clue about IT or business management.
What Apple is failing to do, however, is optimize the new systems for older devices. In other words, Apple’s inaction is causing the problems.
You might be familiar with this from graphics cards. NVIDIA releases updates almost weekly to adjust the graphics card’s performance and settings for a new game. It has happened before that a new update made a game run 30% faster or slower.
So no, a “developer” who claims Apple is developing malware to slow down old systems has no clue about IT or business management.
Howard2k
macrumors 604
An mentioned, Apple doesn't need to do that nefarious, they just write software with yet MORE features, need it or not, which will require a faster/newer cpu.
A few years back when Apple senses your battery low, it would slow down the cpu clock to preserve energy, there was a bruh-ha-ha about that but I guess Apple made changes to satisfy everyone.
There is an old joke that Hardware and Software people are in cahoots. Software people are constantly writing in features so hardware people can build ever more expensive stuff, and Apple controls both.
A few years back when Apple senses your battery low, it would slow down the cpu clock to preserve energy, there was a bruh-ha-ha about that but I guess Apple made changes to satisfy everyone.
There is an old joke that Hardware and Software people are in cahoots. Software people are constantly writing in features so hardware people can build ever more expensive stuff, and Apple controls both.
It might happen again, have you decided to update to the latest version of iOS 18 or will you risk the expiring certificates that may push you on to 27?
Luftkopf
macrumors 65816
I know you have long advocated for never updating iOS, and staying on the release version. Our experiences do not match; your claims do not match my experiences. iOS 26 runs perfectly fine on my iPhone 14, and the battery life is falling in line with the chemical degradation, there were no sudden drops in battery life (after the usual post upgrade scripts finished).
Calling iOS updates beyond the launch version 'malware' is either being deliberately provocative, or just plain churlish.
Idk, why must everything be contributed to malice? Isn’t it just incompetence, in the sense that Apple isn’t going to optimise software to the nth degree for phones they already released (especially 2, 3, 4 years down the line which is their primary target for repeat customers)
Interesting, my 2018 Pro is chugging along but I heavily suspect its due a clean reinstall especially being a 64GB model. My 13 is also lagging more than ever before, although I am also due to restore it.
csalm87
macrumors 6502
As features get added, the code base expands greatly and gets more complicated. It's the result of the yearly release cycles for major updates. The public constant need for updates has degraded software quality for years. As a general society, we need to slow down and allow these companies to perfect what they have. It is rumored iOS 27 will be a "Snow Leopard" type release which, at the time, focused largely on performance. I remember when it came out and the beta was faster than the stable version. If this is the case, I think a lot of these issues will be addressed. That being said, I have not had many major issues with iOS 26 that hasn't been addressed.