Other The myth of Apple intentionally slowing down older iPhones…

[RandomTox]

Apple and many other companies prioritize profits above client satisfaction, especially when they enjoy a monopoly or quasi-monopoly position in the market. This is an unfortunate trend, but it is the reality of our time. Only time will tell whether this strategy is sustainable.

 

[ThailandToo]

Let’s see….the first thing people say when telling you they are buying a new phone…”it’s old and slow”. If Apple was really wanting to warn you and provide a solution they could have just popped up a message that said “your battery requires service. Would you like to reduce performance to extend the run time?” That dialogue could be forced up often to encourage service. But Apple doesn’t want to fix the battery, they want to get you to a new phone. I have a hard time believing they weren’t trying to create another reason to convince you that you need a new phone. If they really thought this was a solution they would have packaged it up as a feature and used it as a selling point. I think they were just trying to generate more sales while giving you more time to see how slow your device is. The iPhone is where they get all their billions….they can’t have you holding on to phones for more than 3 years to stay billionaires. They tried to scam you, got caught, made up some BS, and because everyone thinks they are virtuous and your best friend…they got away with it.

I saw plenty of things hidden in kbase back in the day that said “do not inform customer and replace part” to hide things that made them look bad. They are great a lying to you and have been doing it for years. Had I not been a kool aid fanboy back then I would have printed some of that out.

And this is a company that cares about Tim and the executive team along with the shareholders. They act like they care about the environment, but that’s all marketing. If they really cared they would want us to keep our iPhone for as long as it runs. And replace multiple batteries.

I actually make money on my iPhone as it really is a tool for me. I don’t mind the price, and I would happily pay 5x for a Made in USA iPhone. Something that benefits the US economy or at least the free world. The thing that ticks me off the most is all the tech being stolen by China. And all the chip tech coming from Taiwan which is probably less than five years away from being overtaken by China.

So many things that are contrary to doing good that Apple and Tim act like they do. So sad.

 

[I7guy]

Let’s see….the first thing people say when telling you they are buying a new phone…”it’s old and slow”.

No the first thing is I want more capability and better photography.

If Apple was really wanting to warn you and provide a solution they could have just popped up a message that said “your battery requires service. Would you like to reduce performance to extend the run time?” That dialogue could be forced up often to encourage service. But Apple doesn’t want to fix the battery, they want to get you to a new phone.

When a sentence starts with if generally there is no argument to be made. Also battery health can be checked in the battery applet in settings.

I have a hard time believing they weren’t trying to create another reason to convince you that you need a new phone. If they really thought this was a solution they would have packaged it up as a feature and used it as a selling point. I think they were just trying to generate more sales while giving you more time to see how slow your device is. The iPhone is where they get all their billions….they can’t have you holding on to phones for more than 3 years to stay billionaires. They tried to scam you, got caught, made up some BS, and because everyone thinks they are virtuous and your best friend…they got away with it.

Well according to you they made billions from new iPhones that only cost them a few hundred million. Seems like a win.

I saw plenty of things hidden in kbase back in the day that said “do not inform customer and replace part” to hide things that made them look bad. They are great a lying to you and have been doing it for years. Had I not been a kool aid fanboy back then I would have printed some of that out.

Nice hyperbole.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Perhaps, but it was still horrible on the 6 Pius and I can confirm that iOS 12 is worse than iOS 9 on my 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

If it’s only better when compared to iOS 11 on some devices (namely those whose original version is iOS 11), then it’s almost the exact same case as the rest.

Note that I say “when updated far enough, iOS updates are always negative”. For some devices, iOS 12 isn’t far enough. And I also say “oftentimes, the first major version is fine”. I have an iPhone 6s on iOS 10 and there’s no difference at all in either performance or battery life with iOS 9. But that’s always short-lived.

The point is: grab a device. Keep updating it. Eventually it will be worse with no possibility to downgrade.

I agree, and I absolutely think that Apple should allow downgrading, just like they have on macOS for literal decades.
I remember moving my 2009 MacBook from Sierra to lion before I sold it, and the performance difference was ridiculous. The thing could barely run Sierra, but absolutely flew through lion.
Of course, it was probably all down to the 2 GB of ram the machine had, but still.

Although I do have to give them credit, it has gotten a lot better. My 12 mini, which originally shipped with iOS 14, ran iOS 17 just fine, as does the iPhone 11.
I don’t really know anything about the battery stats between the operating systems though, it may have gotten slightly worse.
My mini had awful battery life, even on its original version

 

[ric22]

I agree, and I absolutely think that Apple should allow downgrading, just like they have on macOS for literal decades.
I remember moving my 2009 MacBook from Sierra to lion before I sold it, and the performance difference was ridiculous. The thing could barely run Sierra, but absolutely flew through lion.
Of course, it was probably all down to the 2 GB of ram the machine had, but still.

Although I do have to give them credit, it has gotten a lot better. My 12 mini, which originally shipped with iOS 14, ran iOS 17 just fine, as does the iPhone 11.
I don’t really know anything about the battery stats between the operating systems though, it may have gotten slightly worse.
My mini had awful battery life, even on its original version

Downgrading absolutely should be standard. I remember the year they dropped Google maps and gave us Apple Maps. My phone not only got slower, but I was in China at the time and Apple Maps was essentially useless there at the time, which was a nightmare during a 2 month trip around the nation!

 

[OneBar]

How do we know "most people never noticed any performance hit"?

Because Apple is still in business and there wasn't a huge recall on the 6.

What? What do you mean "no resolution"? Battery health stats have always been available to Genius Bar staff even before throttlegate - it's shown as a scatter plot graph. But this battery health info was never made available to customers until iOS 11.3. If customers visited an Apple Store, the Geniuses would have determined the battery was in the red and likely causing shutdowns. What nobody knew (including Apple Store staff) was the downclocks associated with a bad battery.

Battery health stats don't tell you anything about power spikes causing crashes. Most likely, imo, because the OS crashes before it can be recorded.
Why would battery health info need to be consumer knowledge if the majority of consumers are trading their phone in before it becomes an issue? That was my whole point. Apple's whole schtick is to get people into a new phone at minimum every other year. No one needs to be concerned about their battery before then. My 11PM is just now at 80% and I use it all day, every day.
"No resolution" meant that someone going in because their phone crashed, which would be the first sign that something was wrong, would be told their phone was fine until Apple discovered that degraded batteries were the issue. After they found them to be the issue, they pushed the update and put out new protocols for replacing batteries degraded beyond a certain point. Personally I think they had some bad batteries as well which were accelerating the issues but that's pure speculation. I never had an issue with my 6S until I gave it to my oldest and she folded the top over in a car door.

The difference is the battery is a consumable and will, with certainty, degrade over time. Lowering performance by 60% is definitely something users should be made aware of.

If it's a certainty, then why do we need someone to tell us it's occurring? We already know. If you're unaware that degraded batteries can suddenly discharge and cause device issues, then telling you that the device will lower performance when the batter hits a certain degradation percentage is only going to make you mad. Case in point. You still are. So, for Apple, telling consumers has the same effect as not telling them. They're going to be mad that the phone is slowing down because they don't understand the reasoning for it. Apple chose between the two and got thumped for it.

iOS today allows the user to choose between peak performance (and potential shutdowns) vs. degraded performance (fewer shutdowns). This works and makes sense. It should have been implemented on day one with iOS 10.2.1, not a year later in iOS 11.3 after Apple was caught with its pants down.

"Caught with their pants down" implies they were doing something wrong, which they unequivocally were not. Also, they had to implement code, design UI, and integrate the code into iOS. 10.2.1 was a quick patch to keep phones from bricking until a more usable fix could be implemented. But no, we can't have people taking care of their devices and software without telling people every little thing they do with their property. Bunch of whiners.

 

[Lift Bar]

If it's a certainty, then why do we need someone to tell us it's occurring? We already know. If you're unaware that degraded batteries can suddenly discharge and cause device issues, then telling you that the device will lower performance when the batter hits a certain degradation percentage is only going to make you mad. Case in point. You still are. So, for Apple, telling consumers has the same effect as not telling them. They're going to be mad that the phone is slowing down because they don't understand the reasoning for it. Apple chose between the two and got thumped for it.

When Apple introduced software updates to mitigate these issues in older iPhones, they didn't initially communicate the reasoning behind it, leading to significant backlash.

But even now, I've noticed that less tech-savvy individuals struggle with understanding their device's battery health and what actions to take. Despite the simplicity of getting a battery replacement, they don't pursue it, either due to a lack of knowledge or a belief that they shouldn't have to. This gap in understanding leads to frustration with the company rather than seeking a solution.

I find it quite straightforward to manage these tech challenges, and it baffles me how others get overwhelmed by them, directing their frustrations at various conspiracies. However, it's a reminder that not everyone is proactive in finding solutions.

Maybe I'd be better off spending less time pondering why others aren't as proactive and more time on productive endeavors.

 

[Bustermd]

Why is it that Apple was so keen to let people know about third-party cables? But not about degraded performance and batteries?

Warning about third-party cable and accessory = best interests of customers

Warning about degraded performance and unreliable battery = not in the best interests of customers

View attachment 2323707

I don't know, I don't work for Apple so I can only speculate as to what their thought process was.

I'll say this though: the warning message people got when they plugged in a cable they bought for 99 cents at the gas station was put there most likely to prevent people coming in demanding warranty repairs or replacements from Apple because "the port doesn't work" when the issue was the cable.

 

[johnb300m]

Ooph, I remember this fiasco.
As someone who had one of those older, constantly crashing phones, I didn't mind the throttling.
I figured I could tolerate it till the next version launch, which is what I did.

This is just something aging computers "do."
Everyone's had an older computer at this point, when you try running newer OS's and software on it, it plods and chugs along. Isn't that what phones are? When they're getting older, and being loaded with newer and newer software, they gum up.
I tried explaining this to people, but it was moot. It was like trying to talk to the angry mob climbing the mountain to Edward Scissorhands' mansion.

 

[Lift Bar]

Ooph, I remember this fiasco.
As someone who had one of those older, constantly crashing phones, I didn't mind the throttling.
I figured I could tolerate it till the next version launch, which is what I did.

This is just something aging computers "do."
Everyone's had an older computer at this point, when you try running newer OS's and software on it, it plods and chugs along. Isn't that what phones are? When they're getting older, and being loaded with newer and newer software, they gum up.
I tried explaining this to people, but it was moot. It was like trying to talk to the angry mob climbing the mountain to Edward Scissorhands' mansion.

Haven't had any problems with a fully updated OS on any Apple device with a new battery and enough storage, (or enough RAM on a Mac, as long as the Mac doesn't have a spinning hard drive). The "aging" on iOS devices is almost entirely battery related, or sometimes other component damage, water damage etc.. If you insist on using old iPhones it's at least worth a shot to replace the battery.

 

[floral]

I respect opinion... but denying something a company, which is usually very silent about this sort of stuff, admits as a true thing that happened, as a myth... is just too much

I'm declaring this as bait to get more reaction score T_T

 

[JPack]

I don't know, I don't work for Apple so I can only speculate as to what their thought process was.

I'll say this though: the warning message people got when they plugged in a cable they bought for 99 cents at the gas station was put there most likely to prevent people coming in demanding warranty repairs or replacements from Apple because "the port doesn't work" when the issue was the cable.

The thought process for not showing a battery message was likely:

If we don't show any warning message, then nobody will demand a repair of any kind. Consumers will experience a slow phone, poor battery, and if we don't promote battery replacement service, they'll come to their own conclusion about buying a new iPhone.

 

[JPack]

Because Apple is still in business and there wasn't a huge recall on the 6.

That's a poor argument and you know it - LOL. Unless you believe the $29 battery service and mea culpa letter from Tim Cook were because nobody noticed the issue?

Battery health stats don't tell you anything about power spikes causing crashes. Most likely, imo, because the OS crashes before it can be recorded.

iOS logs show which apps are open immediately before the crash. It's similar to the way macOS/Windows shows which apps have the highest power draw. Battery health stats can determine the internal resistance of a battery. Those two combined will point to recommending battery service.

Why would battery health info need to be consumer knowledge if the majority of consumers are trading their phone in before it becomes an issue? That was my whole point. Apple's whole schtick is to get people into a new phone at minimum every other year. No one needs to be concerned about their battery before then. My 11PM is just now at 80% and I use it all day, every day.

The iPhone battery is good for only 500 cycles. That means the battery will last about 18 months of daily full usage before service is recommended. The average smartphone replacement cycle back in 2016-2017 was 21-28 months. Today, it's over 40 months. People will definitely experience the issue before retiring their phones.

"No resolution" meant that someone going in because their phone crashed, which would be the first sign that something was wrong, would be told their phone was fine until Apple discovered that degraded batteries were the issue. After they found them to be the issue, they pushed the update and put out new protocols for replacing batteries degraded beyond a certain point. Personally I think they had some bad batteries as well which were accelerating the issues but that's pure speculation. I never had an issue with my 6S until I gave it to my oldest and she folded the top over in a car door.

Battery diagnostic is such a basic problem, it's been a known issue since the first dumb phone. Apple doesn't need to "rediscover" such a well known issue. Batteries age. Capacity goes down. Internal resistance goes up. Power delivery becomes unreliable.

If it's a certainty, then why do we need someone to tell us it's occurring? We already know. If you're unaware that degraded batteries can suddenly discharge and cause device issues, then telling you that the device will lower performance when the batter hits a certain degradation percentage is only going to make you mad. Case in point. You still are. So, for Apple, telling consumers has the same effect as not telling them. They're going to be mad that the phone is slowing down because they don't understand the reasoning for it. Apple chose between the two and got thumped for it.

Certainty of an event doesn't mean everybody knows it. Just because it's for certain it is 8:00 a.m. somewhere around the world doesn't mean everyone knows it. That's why clocks exist and battery diagnostic tools are available.

"Caught with their pants down" implies they were doing something wrong, which they unequivocally were not. Also, they had to implement code, design UI, and integrate the code into iOS. 10.2.1 was a quick patch to keep phones from bricking until a more usable fix could be implemented. But no, we can't have people taking care of their devices and software without telling people every little thing they do with their property. Bunch of whiners.

100% Apple was wrong. That's why the $29 service program existed. That's why Tim Cook wrote a long mea culpa letter to the public. That's why he provided statements to countless media outlets about regaining customer faith and trust.

 

[redcarlsen]

ios becoming a bloated mess, and Apple without a vision looking to keep those profits high.

If it was really about the battery, the easy and best solution is ................ DING DING DING! easy user replaceable batteries! Not only does it make sense, it's the "greener" thing to do. And we know how much Apple likes to virtue signal and rack up those social credit points for Dear Leader Xi.

 

[FeliApple]

I agree, and I absolutely think that Apple should allow downgrading, just like they have on macOS for literal decades.
I remember moving my 2009 MacBook from Sierra to lion before I sold it, and the performance difference was ridiculous. The thing could barely run Sierra, but absolutely flew through lion.
Of course, it was probably all down to the 2 GB of ram the machine had, but still.

Although I do have to give them credit, it has gotten a lot better. My 12 mini, which originally shipped with iOS 14, ran iOS 17 just fine, as does the iPhone 11.
I don’t really know anything about the battery stats between the operating systems though, it may have gotten slightly worse.
My mini had awful battery life, even on its original version

To Apple’s credit, performance has gotten a lot better. Yes, slowdowns and keyboard lag both occur, but unlike before (back in the 32-bit era, and even early 64-bit), devices are a lot better when fully updated.

Battery life got better but solely due to sheer size, and only recently. The original battery life has been so good that even though updates severely worsen it, they’re still at least kind of usable.

However, and in spite the aforementioned improvements, updates still severely decrease performance and battery life, if updated far enough, and when compared to the original iOS version.

The iPhone Xʀ on iOS 17 is nowhere near iOS 12 in terms of battery life, and performance has suffered, too. A9 devices are very poor on both counts when fully updated as well.

An updated iPhone 6s with a kind of degraded battery would be perfect on iOS 10 (say, 85%), and it’s unusable on iOS 15, probably getting a couple of hours of screen-on time at most.

An iPhone Xʀ on iOS 17 probably gets around 6-7 hours, whereas it gets twice that on iOS 12. So, the difference when comparing an updated 6s and an updated Xʀ is apparent, yet that does not mean that the Xʀ is perfect. It’s usable, and that’s as far as my praise goes. Also, like I said, small - and annoying - slight instances of lag and glitches are ubiquitous. Keyboard lag, slowdowns which may not be severe enough to disrupt operations, but they’re severe enough for users to notice.

I am absolutely sure that users on iOS 17 would be pleasantly surprised should they be able to revert back to iOS 12, on both counts: performance, and battery life.

For that reason, which includes the fact that Apple just can’t help themselves but degrade the experience every time, even if it’s better than it used to be, Apple should allow downgrading at any time for any reason. They are wrong and at fault for not allowing that.

Like I said earlier, we can do one thing to fight this: never update.

This is what I do, and my experience with iOS devices is excellent: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...wing-down-older-iphones.2413230/post-32783229

 

[Lift Bar]

ios becoming a bloated mess, and Apple without a vision looking to keep those profits high.

If it was really about the battery, the easy and best solution is ................ DING DING DING! easy user replaceable batteries! Not only does it make sense, it's the "greener" thing to do. And we know how much Apple likes to virtue signal and rack up those social credit points for Dear Leader Xi.

Batteries in Phones are user-replaceable. Making it “easy” isn’t necessary when you consider most people only need a battery replacement once or twice over the phone's lifespan. Apple's design, focusing on slimness, and water and dust resistance, makes sense for something you'll do maybe every couple of years.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

ios becoming a bloated mess, and Apple without a vision looking to keep those profits high.

if that’s the case, then iOS has been a bloated mess since 2010 when iOS 4 destroyed the iPhone 3G.

Despite the word “parody” being used in the title, the description clearly shows that this was not a parody at all.
And again, this in 2010, right under the noses of Steve Jobs and Scott Forstall.

In fact, iOS 4 on the iPhone 3G was so bad that it… Didn’t even get fully updated to iOS 4.
iOS 4’s last update was 4.3.5 released in August 2011, but the 3G last was updated with 4.2.1 released in November 2010.
So not only was iOS 4 a bloated mess on the iPhone 3G, but because of it it’s the shortest supported iOS device in history, only receiving two years and four months of software support.

And I know for a fact that the oldest supported devices on iOS 17, the 2017 iPad Pro and the iPhone XR, absolutely do not have problems like this.

 

[I7guy]

To Apple’s credit, performance has gotten a lot better. Yes, slowdowns and keyboard lag both occur, but unlike before (back in the 32-bit era, and even early 64-bit), devices are a lot better when fully updated.

Battery life got better but solely due to sheer size, and only recently. The original battery life has been so good that even though updates severely worsen it, they’re still at least kind of usable.

More or less I agree.

However, and in spite the aforementioned improvements, updates still severely decrease performance and battery life, if updated far enough, and when compared to the original iOS version.

Need specifics because as a general statement it is false. I understand without some proof this is anecdotal and that is where it ends.

The iPhone Xʀ on iOS 17 is nowhere near iOS 12 in terms of battery life, and performance has suffered, too.

Proof? Same iPhone, same battery same time period. Or let’s compsre the Xs max.

A9 devices are very poor on both counts when fully updated as well.

An updated iPhone 6s with a kind of degraded battery would be perfect on iOS 10 (say, 85%), and it’s unusable on iOS 15, probably getting a couple of hours of screen-on time at most.

An iPhone Xʀ on iOS 17 probably gets around 6-7 hours, whereas it gets twice that on iOS 12.

But has half the functionality and a ton of vulnerabilities.

So, the difference when comparing an updated 6s and an updated Xʀ is apparent, yet that does not mean that the Xʀ is perfect. It’s usable, and that’s as far as my praise goes.

Useable is the sweet spot. As I said, imo, execessive adorations are meaningless.

Also, like I said, small - and annoying - slight instances of lag and glitches are ubiquitous. Keyboard lag, slowdowns which may not be severe enough to disrupt operations, but they’re severe enough for users to notice.

These artifacts happen even on a new device with a new operating system.

I am absolutely sure that users on iOS 17 would be pleasantly surprised should they be able to revert back to iOS 12, on both counts: performance, and battery life.

Clearly some users want to do just that but apple won’t let them.

For that reason, which includes the fact that Apple just can’t help themselves but degrade the experience every time,

Yes for specific architectures.

even if it’s better than it used to be, Apple should allow downgrading at any time for any reason. They are wrong and at fault for not allowing that.

They aren’t going to change their mi DS as this is not the first time downgrading has been mentioned.

Like I said earlier, we can do one thing to fight this: never update.

You can. I’m a serial updater. I wouldn’t put my digits assets at risk and have three iPhones when one does the job. Buts that me.

This is what I do, and my experience with iOS devices is excellent: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...wing-down-older-iphones.2413230/post-32783229

 

[pdoherty]

Fact: Apple has admitted that they lowered peak performance on iPhones with older and partially degraded battery as a way to avoid unexpected shutdowns during performance spikes.

You're missing how that situation started. Apple was doing this throttling of iPhones and denying battery replacements until they got caught doing it and then claimed after being caught that they were doing it to prevent crashing. Which is why they had to I battery swaps for free for a while and after that did them cheap.

 

[OneBar]

When Apple introduced software updates to mitigate these issues in older iPhones, they didn't initially communicate the reasoning behind it, leading to significant backlash.

But even now, I've noticed that less tech-savvy individuals struggle with understanding their device's battery health and what actions to take. Despite the simplicity of getting a battery replacement, they don't pursue it, either due to a lack of knowledge or a belief that they shouldn't have to. This gap in understanding leads to frustration with the company rather than seeking a solution.

I find it quite straightforward to manage these tech challenges, and it baffles me how others get overwhelmed by them, directing their frustrations at various conspiracies. However, it's a reminder that not everyone is proactive in finding solutions.

Maybe I'd be better off spending less time pondering why others aren't as proactive and more time on productive endeavors.

As I said, it was a lose/lose for Apple as consumers would be angry either way. So they picked what they thought was the most expedient answer.

 

[OneBar]

That's a poor argument and you know it - LOL. Unless you believe the $29 battery service and mea culpa letter from Tim Cook were because nobody noticed the issue?

Or they were told to because of litigation. Which doesn't mean they were in the wrong, they were just ruled against. And no, an insignificant portion of the consumers noticed and whined loudly about it because they didn't understand what was going on. And they still don't.

iOS logs show which apps are open immediately before the crash. It's similar to the way macOS/Windows shows which apps have the highest power draw. Battery health stats can determine the internal resistance of a battery. Those two combined will point to recommending battery service.

Yeah they do now. They didn't then until the initial patch.

The iPhone battery is good for only 500 cycles. That means the battery will last about 18 months of daily full usage before service is recommended. The average smartphone replacement cycle back in 2016-2017 was 21-28 months. Today, it's over 40 months. People will definitely experience the issue before retiring their phones.

Again, not if the phone is replaced every other year, or 24 months. Also the degradation is measured in how much charge the battery can take, not how many cycles it's had. I never experienced performance drop on my 6s, 8+, or my current 11PM and they all 3 exceeded 500 cycles by 2-3x.

Battery diagnostic is such a basic problem, it's been a known issue since the first dumb phone. Apple doesn't need to "rediscover" such a well known issue. Batteries age. Capacity goes down. Internal resistance goes up. Power delivery becomes unreliable.

And yet here we are still talking about it like Apple doing something to mitigate it, which every tech manufacturer in existence does, is something bad.

Certainty of an event doesn't mean everybody knows it. Just because it's for certain it is 8:00 a.m. somewhere around the world doesn't mean everyone knows it. That's why clocks exist and battery diagnostic tools are available.

But I thought it was such a "basic problem" and has "been known since the first dumb phone"? Which is it? Either everyone knows about it and shouldn't be having a problem or people don't know about it, don't understand it, and should just let the tech company take care of their tech instead of complaining about something they don't understand and will probably never experience.

100% Apple was wrong. That's why the $29 service program existed. That's why Tim Cook wrote a long mea culpa letter to the public. That's why he provided statements to countless media outlets about regaining customer faith and trust.

Apple was 100% told they were wrong. That does not make them actually wrong. People get litigated against all the time for doing something that wasn't wrong. Apple is good at kowtowing, that's what all the boot kissing was about.

 

[JPack]

Or they were told to because of litigation. Which doesn't mean they were in the wrong, they were just ruled against. And no, an insignificant portion of the consumers noticed and whined loudly about it because they didn't understand what was going on. And they still don't.

If Apple was being sued, Apple wouldn't admit a mistake or make a public apology at all. That apology would only confirm they were wrong and kill their defense. Your reasoning doesn't make any sense. The $29 battery program and mea culpa letter came out 3 weeks after the world learned about throttlegate. No judge or jury had determined anything.

Yeah they do now. They didn't then until the initial patch.

A patch wasn't necessary. Battery data was available to Genius Bar staff. This was available to reps even during iPhone 5 before throttlegate became known. It has existed for years prior on Mac. What changed in iOS 11.3 was Apple finally let customers know.

Again, not if the phone is replaced every other year, or 24 months. Also the degradation is measured in how much charge the battery can take, not how many cycles it's had. I never experienced performance drop on my 6s, 8+, or my current 11PM and they all 3 exceeded 500 cycles by 2-3x.

Why do you keep believing phones get replaced every other year? In your world, do you not see older iPhones in service? This is like your belief that "most people never noticed any performance hit."

And yet here we are still talking about it like Apple doing something to mitigate it, which every tech manufacturer in existence does, is something bad.

Mitigation without information is bad.

But I thought it was such a "basic problem" and has "been known since the first dumb phone"? Which is it? Either everyone knows about it and shouldn't be having a problem or people don't know about it, don't understand it, and should just let the tech company take care of their tech instead of complaining about something they don't understand and will probably never experience.

It is a basic problem. Yes, everyone knows about about the concept. Knowing a battery can die and knowing the battery in your specific device needs service are two different things. Apple hid battery health info along with degraded performance. You live in a pretty binary world. Not everyone needs their hand held. Some people aren't scared about knowing.

Apple was 100% told they were wrong. That does not make them actually wrong. People get litigated against all the time for doing something that wasn't wrong. Apple is good at kowtowing, that's what all the boot kissing was about.

LOL. Customers said Apple was wrong. Apple heard the feedback, apologized, and made changes. That's some mental gymnastics to believe Apple was not "actually wrong."

 

[FeliApple]

But has half the functionality and a ton of vulnerabilities.

Sure, but at least it can work as a main device for a basic user with no need to charge several times per day.

Useable is the sweet spot. As I said, imo, execessive adorations are meaningless.

You may be fine with it being merely usable. I am not. Neither of our approaches here specifically is wrong, we value different things, and that’s okay.

These artifacts happen even on a new device with a new operating system.

This is completely false.

Clearly some users want to do just that but apple won’t let them.

Yes, and the result is very simple: millions of great iOS devices reduced to uselessness.

Yes for specific architectures.

All of them if updated far enough.

They aren’t going to change their mi DS as this is not the first time downgrading has been mentioned.

Agreed.

You can. I’m a serial updater. I wouldn’t put my digits assets at risk and have three iPhones when one does the job. Buts that me.

The beauty of choice. Like I said, I’m very thankful that Apple allows those of us who value performance and battery life to stay behind.

 

[FeliApple]

Why do you keep believing phones get replaced every other year? In your world, do you not see older iPhones in service? This is like your belief that "most people never noticed any performance hit."

I have the theory that people who deny this do so for one of two reasons, or both:

-They don’t use devices that are updated far enough

Or, alternatively:

-They don’t remember how they ran back when they were on their original iOS versions.

Otherwise, the constant denial of updates-induced obliteration is utterly baffling.

 

[Wm91]

I was talking to a friend of mine and he briefly mentioned that Apple intentionally slows down older models of iPhones - ‘planned obsolescence’ - and that it’s a known phenomenon. Let’s talk about it.

Before I carry on, I’m totally aware that he’s entitled to his opinion and I don’t think there’s a need to bash someone else’s opinion just because it differs from mine.

I have to disagree with him of course. I’ve thought about it, and on the surface it may seem true to an extend but I feel that people have manipulated the facts to suit a certain narrative. A narrative whereby Apple wants you to upgrade to their latest iPhones and to do that, they have to slow down your older iPhones under the pretence of improving your battery life. So I wanna break this down and see if you guys agree or disagree with me.

Fact: Apple has admitted that they lowered peak performance on iPhones with older and partially degraded battery as a way to avoid unexpected shutdowns during performance spikes.

I believe this saga surfaced in late 2017 when some tech geek discovered lower benchmark scores in older iPhones after upgrading to the latest iOS, or something a long that line.

However this saga is layered by this narrative that Apple is somehow forcing people to upgrade to their newest iPhones - it just didn’t make sense. As far as I know, these lowered performance was first noticed by someone looking for something, using a benchmark tool to compare certain metrics. A scenario that majority of consumers would never do and hence, this is not representative of a real world issue. The people that I know in my social circle, only upgrade to newer iPhones due to: expired telco contracts, just because they could and lastly, because their phones do not last as long as they did due to degraded battery health.

Degraded battery health - the very same issue Apple has been looking to remedy. None of those people I know told me that they upgraded because their older iPhones were slow. Could they have been slow? Yes, but I reckon it’s not noticeable in day to day use. I support the idea that Apple ’throttles’ the performance not because they want user to upgrade, but they want the user to be happy with their current iPhone they’re using by optimising the performance with the reduced battery health.

Hi,

I’m one of the first ones who found out about the 6s performance downgrade when the battery started to age.

It was a lot sketchier than that. It started with the random shutdowns, and apple claimed to have fixed it with an update. In my case, I remember just a couple of cases. For some time after that, I noticed that my phone was working fine in the mornings, and then it will literally crawl when I arrived at home after work. I started measuring performance, and I noticed that Geekbench scored would go as far as 50% in the evenings, then I related it to the battery percentage. There was no warnings, no options, nothing that could tell you what was happening.
Some time after it blew up, and apple was forced to disclose the peak capacity stuff.

It was pretty shady on their side.