Other iPhone battery life scandal. Would you ever buy another iPhone again?

[MacDevil7334]

Replace the battery.

I’m sure most people would probably choose that option. Unfortunately,

• Apple enabled the throttling silently and didn’t ever tell the user the slowdown was related to battery health. This left the user with the impression that the only option was to buy a new device. Only Apple knows for sure whether that decision was deliberate. But, given the enormous financial upside of pushing people to buy new phones over battery replacements, I’m inclined to think it was.
• Even if a user managed to detect the silent throttling and then managed to link it to a degraded battery, there is still a chance that Apple would have refused to replace it. Apple only will replace a battery that has degraded to 80% capacity. However the benchmark tests have shown the throttling kicks in before the battery degrades to that point. So, the user is forced to either accept degraded performance, seek out an unauthorized third party repair, or, you guessed it, buy a new device.

The issue here is NOT the throttling. By all accounts it is the “least bad” solution to the valid engineering problem of how to handle a phone with an older battery. The issue is the fact that Apple didn’t tell the user what it was doing and also structured its battery replacement policy in such a way as to push the user toward a new device instead of a battery replacement. If this was really about ensuring the best user experience, Apple would have been upfront about it. But they kept it quiet until they were caught.

 

[macfacts]

As opposed to a phone that shuts down? Sure.

Stop saying that those are the only two choices. The other choice is for Apple to admit the batteries are defective and issue a recall.

Do you want to be punched in the face or punched in the stomach? I'd rather not be punched at all.

 

[JediZenMaster]

Stop saying that those are the only two choices. The other choice is for Apple to admit the batteries are defective and issue a recall.

Do you want to be punched in the face or punched in the stomach? I'd rather not be punched at all.

That is incorrect and I disagree. There are only two choices. They will recall nothing as they should not have to.

 

[RecentlyConverted]

That is incorrect and I disagree. There are only two choices. They will recall nothing as they should not have to.

So they put poor batteries in some of the most expensive phones you can buy and you are fine with that. Wow. This really is a cult to some people.

 

[Radon87000]

If it’s meant to protect the components and prevent shutdowns, then yes. Are you fine with Intel and AMD CPUs throttling if your fans get less efficient? Same thing.

Replace the battery.

THe fans don't get inefficient in a high end setup which is what an iPhone is. I own a PC with an AMD FX 8350 and a Corsair H80i cooler boh from 2012 and the fans and the processor are just as efficient as on Day 1. The iPhone is a high end phone and likewise shouldn't get throttled.

 

[I7guy]

Stop saying that those are the only two choices. The other choice is for Apple to admit the batteries are defective and issue a recall.

Do you want to be punched in the face or punched in the stomach? I'd rather not be punched at all.

Right now you have one choice until you have another. Seems the lesser of two evils.

 

[thadoggfather]

With jailbreak for X (still waiting on some crucial pieces but looking promising) and on non throttle iOS I hope I don’t have to bother for a while with the decision making process

 

[I7guy]

Then why isn’t the user informed?

Right now that’s not the choice.

I wasn’t informed my battery was subpar on my 6s, yet miraculously it was replaced.

 

[BarracksSi]

So they put poor batteries in some of the most expensive phones you can buy and you are fine with that. Wow. This really is a cult to some people.

Show me an alternative battery chemistry that anyone else is using in smartphones.

This isn’t exclusive to iPhones. This is every device that uses lithium batteries. They wear out over time.

There hasn’t yet been a battery type you could buy that doesn’t get worse with use. You remember how Ni-Cad batteries degraded, too, right?

 

[thadoggfather]

Show me an alternative battery chemistry that anyone else is using in smartphones.

This isn’t exclusive to iPhones. This is every device that uses lithium batteries. They wear out over time.

There hasn’t yet been a battery type you could buy that doesn’t get worse with use. You remember how Ni-Cad batteries degraded, too, right?

Why is throttling a new thing then?

 

[Radon87000]

Right now that’s not the choice.

I wasn’t informed my battery was subpar on my 6s, yet miraculously it was replaced.

You were having battery drain on your phone which obviously is a fault of the battery. That’s the conventional battery wear. The phones which are throttling aren’t having battery drain issues. They are just slower.

User should be informed about a defective battery in the phone just like how they are currently informed about battery wear.

 

[Smartass]

Apple installed batteries that are total crap into their iPhones and are now, once again, trying to cover it up with some weird excuses such as this bullcrap CPU throttling so the "customers can keep using their iphone normally so they dont randomly shutdown". No other OEM has this problem with "random shutdown" after two years. Maybe those cheap Chinese phones, which kind of makes it sad thinking that Apple batteries are on par with those.

 

[dsr2]

To me this situation is like the Watergate scandal, from which Apple apparently learned nothing: It’s not the crime, it’s the coverup. I’ve no idea if this an engineering thing or a money grab, but like others have so eloquently said: Have a pop up that announces their intentions and give the people options. Reading this in the papers does nothing to endear Apple to those already angry with them or on the fence about a new phone.

 

[Radon87000]

Apple installed batteries that are total crap into their iPhones and are now, once again, trying to cover it up with some weird excuses such as this bullcrap CPU throttling so the "customers can keep using their iphone normally so they dont randomly shutdown". No other OEM has this problem with "random shutdown" after two years. Maybe those cheap Chinese phones, which kind of makes it sad thinking that Apple batteries are on par with those.

I will never replace Apple batteries after the awful experience I had with my iPhone 6. Battery has been replaced just a couple of months ago and it’s health is 94% after just 80 cycles. Once it gets below 85 or so Apple will throttle it. Horrible quality.

 

[MacDevil7334]

Show me an alternative battery chemistry that anyone else is using in smartphones.

This isn’t exclusive to iPhones. This is every device that uses lithium batteries. They wear out over time.

There hasn’t yet been a battery type you could buy that doesn’t get worse with use. You remember how Ni-Cad batteries degraded, too, right?

I think the question is why are the batteries in the iPhone only rated for 500 cycles (to degrade to 80% capacity) when every other device Apple makes is rated for 1000 cycles? I’m definitely not a battery expert but that certainly looks like they are using batteries of inferior quality on the iPhones. Given the high price of the iPhone, I’d like to at least know why there’s a difference.

 

[I7guy]

You were having battery drain on your phone which obviously is a fault of the battery. That’s the conventional battery wear. The phones which are throttling aren’t having battery drain issues. They are just slower.

User should be informed about a defective battery in the phone just like how they are currently informed about battery wear.

Battery drain is also the result of operating system power mis-management, bad apps, etc. which is why, IMO, one has to bring their phone into the store for diagnosing.

 

[Puonti]

Why is throttling a new thing then?

One possibility is that phone CPUs, especially Apple ones (being industry-leading), have in recent years become very powerful and relatively speaking power-hungry, while batteries have remained much the same. Consider also that every bit of hardware in phones is smaller than in other battery-powered computing devices. There’s simply less room for error and variance before you run into trouble; much like otherwise identical but smaller capacity SSDs wear out faster than larger capacity ones simply because there’s less room for wear leveling.

These companies are constantly balancing technologies and trying to make it look nice and neat and perfect, when in fact it’s always a compromise. Samsung chose to release a design that pushed those tiny tolerances so far the phones went up in flames. Apple chose to prevent shutdowns resulting from peak CPU power draw on worn-out batteries by throttling affected devices.

 

[BarracksSi]

Why is throttling a new thing then?

Because the “old thing” (which most manufacturers still do) was to just keep running at full speed, causing random shutdowns when the battery got old.

 

[BarracksSi]

I think the question is why are the batteries in the iPhone only rated for 500 cycles (to degrade to 80% capacity) when every other device Apple makes is rated for 1000 cycles? I’m definitely not a battery expert but that certainly looks like they are using batteries of inferior quality on the iPhones. Given the high price of the iPhone, I’d like to at least know why there’s a difference.

Or that they’re using much larger batteries in their other devices.

 

[MacDevil7334]

Or that they’re using much larger batteries in their other devices.

You think the battery in the Apple Watch is larger than the one in the iPhone?

 

[RecentlyConverted]

Show me an alternative battery chemistry that anyone else is using in smartphones.

This isn’t exclusive to iPhones. This is every device that uses lithium batteries. They wear out over time.

There hasn’t yet been a battery type you could buy that doesn’t get worse with use. You remember how Ni-Cad batteries degraded, too, right?

Yes I do, and not all Ni-Cad batteries were created equal. Some I used lasted for years on heavy duty devices, some didn’t. I am not talking about different battery chemicals I am taking about quality of product. If Apple is using top quality batteries ( which I doubt) maybe it’s time for thicker phones with bigger batteries as an option or better looking battery cases that fit standard and plus sizes.

 

[betwixtwords]

Not a scandal. Already bought.

 

[DNichter]

If Apple doesn't introduce weather widgets for the home screen, app launchers, and let me load robotic themes on my iPhone - I'm out.

 

[Ledsteplin]

Apple installed batteries that are total crap into their iPhones and are now, once again, trying to cover it up with some weird excuses such as this bullcrap CPU throttling so the "customers can keep using their iphone normally so they dont randomly shutdown". No other OEM has this problem with "random shutdown" after two years. Maybe those cheap Chinese phones, which kind of makes it sad thinking that Apple batteries are on par with those.

No one specified "after 2 years". It's whenever the battery degrades to the point where it starts to shut down at 30% or so, or cause other severe issues. I've been a heavy user with my 6s Plus. I got it on release day September 25, 2015. There's no slowdown at all. I do have to charge more often. The CPU slowdown is the same as what happens when you enable "low power mode". It's not an issue!

 

[5105973]

I’m sure most people would probably choose that option. Unfortunately,

• Apple enabled the throttling silently and didn’t ever tell the user the slowdown was related to battery health. This left the user with the impression that the only option was to buy a new device. Only Apple knows for sure whether that decision was deliberate. But, given the enormous financial upside of pushing people to buy new phones over battery replacements, I’m inclined to think it was.
• Even if a user managed to detect the silent throttling and then managed to link it to a degraded battery, there is still a chance that Apple would have refused to replace it. Apple only will replace a battery that has degraded to 80% capacity. However the benchmark tests have shown the throttling kicks in before the battery degrades to that point. So, the user is forced to either accept degraded performance, seek out an unauthorized third party repair, or, you guessed it, buy a new device.

The issue here is NOT the throttling. By all accounts it is the “least bad” solution to the valid engineering problem of how to handle a phone with an older battery. The issue is the fact that Apple didn’t tell the user what it was doing and also structured its battery replacement policy in such a way as to push the user toward a new device instead of a battery replacement. If this was really about ensuring the best user experience, Apple would have been upfront about it. But they kept it quiet until they were caught.

Well said. My friend was in this situation with her iPhone 6 and if this news hadn’t broke she would have bought a new iPhone instead of a new battery. Her budget really isn’t ideal now for a new phone purchase. How many other people out there were caught in the same bind? I think it stinks.

I’ve got a nice X and an Apple LTE Series 3. I’ll enjoy them. But I’m also evaluating the Android side of the fence to keep my options open.