Apple admits it slows down older phones. What are your thoughts about it?

doogald

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(Heck, when we know the battery in our car is on its last legs, we don't expect the car to go only 80% as fast, or run only some of the accessories. It runs until the battery can no longer start and run the car)

So, would you rather your car just die while it is running when you press the gas when this fictional car battery is on its last legs, or just not speed up but continue running? Because that's what Apple did - slow the phone down **temporarily** so the phone just doesn't die in your hand. As it is, only electric cars run on batteries - most cars run on gasoline, and the battery just powers the electrical system. So, this is more like a car that can no longer deliver gasoline as fast as the engine needs it when you try to push the car hard. Would you want that fictional car to be smart enough not to die on the highway when you try to accelerate past a slower vehicle, or just fail hard and stall despite the fact there is plenty of fuel to keep on going at a normal speed? That's what this change is doing to the iPhone - it's preventing it from running the turbocharger but allowing it to continue at normal speed without a hard failure, making your car stop and forcing you to restart it and find that the gas tank still had enough fuel to continue going when it stopped.

Unfortunately, smartphones are not cars. Cars are designed and meant to be regularly maintained over many years; smartphones are designed to be useful for only a short amount of time, and any smartphone maker who has tried to make a modular device that can be upgraded has not been successful in the market.

But to deny - as long as they did - that users felt the OS upgrades slowed the devices (without explaining why) and then happily encourage their own retailers and 3rd Party providers to sell a new phone to customers when a battery swap would do? How many 6, 6s, 7, and 7s phones are sitting in junk drawers, replaced because they weren't working as expected, and Apple did not say why?

This slowing just started last January, and only for 6/6s/SE, and these slowdown conspiracy theories are far older than that, allegedly for older iPhones than those.

I can guarantee that there is not a single iPhone 7s sitting in a junk drawer, though. ;)

(I honestly think that more people upgrade not because their phones are slow but because the batteries no longer hold a charge for a sufficient amount of time.)

Take advantage of the cheaper battery swap while you can, but ensure you sign nothing that removes your right to consumer protection, or to recompense should lawsuits proceed.

Right, sue, sue, sue, that's the American way. (Why would you get excited about entering a class action suit that will fill lawyers' pockets and get you a check for a few cents or maybe dollars in ten years?)

If you feel so strongly about it, make Apple hurt where it counts by not buying another iPhone. And, if you still want an iPhone, be happy that there is a vigorous group of journalists holding Apple's feet to the fire; without them, this program to change batteries for $29 rather than $69 (and only when the battery has less than 80% original life left) never would have happened.
 

Tartarus

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So, would you rather your car just die while it is running when you press the gas when this fictional car battery is on its last legs, or just not speed up but continue running? Because that's what Apple did - slow the phone down **temporarily** so the phone just doesn't die in your hand. As it is, only electric cars run on batteries - most cars run on gasoline, and the battery just powers the electrical system. So, this is more like a car that can no longer deliver gasoline as fast as the engine needs it when you try to push the car hard. Would you want that fictional car to be smart enough not to die on the highway when you try to accelerate past a slower vehicle, or just fail hard and stall despite the fact there is plenty of fuel to keep on going at a normal speed? That's what this change is doing to the iPhone - it's preventing it from running the turbocharger but allowing it to continue at normal speed without a hard failure, making your car stop and forcing you to restart it and find that the gas tank still had enough fuel to continue going when it stopped.

Unfortunately, smartphones are not cars. Cars are designed and meant to be regularly maintained over many years; smartphones are designed to be useful for only a short amount of time, and any smartphone maker who has tried to make a modular device that can be upgraded has not been successful in the market.



This slowing just started last January, and only for 6/6s/SE, and these slowdown conspiracy theories are far older than that, allegedly for older iPhones than those.

I can guarantee that there is not a single iPhone 7s sitting in a junk drawer, though. ;)

(I honestly think that more people upgrade not because their phones are slow but because the batteries no longer hold a charge for a sufficient amount of time.)



Right, sue, sue, sue, that's the American way. (Why would you get excited about entering a class action suit that will fill lawyers' pockets and get you a check for a few cents or maybe dollars in ten years?)

If you feel so strongly about it, make Apple hurt where it counts by not buying another iPhone. And, if you still want an iPhone, be happy that there is a vigorous group of journalists holding Apple's feet to the fire; without them, this program to change batteries for $29 rather than $69 (and only when the battery has less than 80% original life left) never would have happened.

Exactly this^^
If only I could like this post multiple times.
 

Nodnerb

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I certainly havent read every post in this thread, but to me the real problem is that apple is basically saying that their phones aren't able to run properly on a slightly degraded battery. I'm sure it is planned obsolescence under the guise of "we're doing this for you". So far no android phones seem to need to have a yearly battery replacement to keep them from crashing unless you slow the processor. What a joke. Apple resale value should take a huge hit for this. But of course apple doesn't care about that.
 

doogald

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I certainly havent read every post in this thread, but to me the real problem is that apple is basically saying that their phones aren't able to run properly on a slightly degraded battery.

Not really. The throttling happens after approximately 500 full charge cycles, when the battery is at about 80% of original capacity. That is not a slightly degraded battery. People who have to fully charge their phones more than once a day may hit this after a year, but most people will be at about two years. (My guess is that most people do not fully discharge their battery in a single day, so probably at most go through 5 charge cycles in a week.) My iPhone 6s (battery replaced in December 2016 as part of the battery recall) has 250 charge cycles in 13 months, with about 97% of the original capacity when at full charge, and Geekbench numbers remain the same as when the 6s was new - I am not being throttled. My guess is that I might be just hitting this if I still had the original battery, but I have had the phone for 2 years and 3 months. My use is probably slightly heavier than average.
 

Tartarus

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I'd be pissed if my expensive device was being throttled for "my own good". Either give me a notification that the battery needs to be replaced or explicitly state that older phones will be throttled to preserve battery.

I won't be purchasing another iPhone until either of those two conditions are met. My opinion isn't going to change on this.

I saw elsewhere that you purchased a new iPhone X today.
Enjoy it
 

Ledsteplin

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Not really. The throttling happens after approximately 500 full charge cycles, when the battery is at about 80% of original capacity. That is not a slightly degraded battery. People who have to fully charge their phones more than once a day may hit this after a year, but most people will be at about two years. (My guess is that most people do not fully discharge their battery in a single day, so probably at most go through 5 charge cycles in a week.) My iPhone 6s (battery replaced in December 2016 as part of the battery recall) has 250 charge cycles in 13 months, with about 97% of the original capacity when at full charge, and Geekbench numbers remain the same as when the 6s was new - I am not being throttled. My guess is that I might be just hitting this if I still had the original battery, but I have had the phone for 2 years and 3 months. My use is probably slightly heavier than average.

I've had my 6s Plus for 27 months. I'm a heavy user. The only issue I have is having to charge more often. Show me where Apple says it starts to slow phones at 500 cycles. I have at least 700 to 800 cycles behind me and am at 30% battery wear.
 

doogald

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I've had my 6s Plus for 27 months. I'm a heavy user. The only issue I have is having to charge more often. Show me where Apple says it starts to slow phones at 500 cycles. I have at least 700 to 800 cycles behind me and am at 30% battery wear.

Fair enough; they haven't said the exact conditions, but this document details that batteries that have "chemically aged", coupled with batteries in extremely cold conditions, may have too much impedance and may "dynamically manage performance peaks". I got the 500 cycles/80% from Apple's warranty that the battery will be replaced if it falls below those totals while under warranty, and, until last week, Apple would not replace a battery by customer's request for $69 if the battery was above 80% health.

Apple's iPhone battery warranty: https://www.apple.com/batteries/service-and-recycling/#mn_p

Your battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles. The one-year warranty includes service coverage for a defective battery. If it is out of warranty, Apple offers a battery service for $79, plus $6.95 shipping, subject to local tax.

It'd be interesting to see the results of a Geekbench test on your phone with your battery condition. That said, so far all of the reports about battery performance throttling that I have seen have been for the 4.7" and 4" phones, not the Plus sized models (though they are now also covered for the $29 battery replacement program.)
 

Ledsteplin

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Fair enough; they haven't said the exact conditions, but this document details that batteries that have "chemically aged", coupled with batteries in extremely cold conditions, may have too much impedance and may "dynamically manage performance peaks". I got the 500 cycles/80% from Apple's warranty that the battery will be replaced if it falls below those totals while under warranty, and, until last week, Apple would not replace a battery by customer's request for $69 if the battery was above 80% health.

Apple's iPhone battery warranty: https://www.apple.com/batteries/service-and-recycling/#mn_p



It'd be interesting to see the results of a Geekbench test on your phone with your battery condition. That said, so far all of the reports about battery performance throttling that I have seen have been for the 4.7" and 4" phones, not the Plus sized models (though they are now also covered for the $29 battery replacement program.)

That warranty is just what they guarantee. But phones will go a lot more before having issues with the battery, other than frequent charging.
 

Wags14

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I have an IPhone 6s running 11.2.5 beta. The phone is about 2 years old and battery has seen better days. I downloaded and ran Geekbench 4 to check system and battery performance. The overall system was running about 50% although CPU was at max. Instead of waiting for Apple to replace battery, I purchased and installed one myself. It is as if I have a New phone. Complete system run at or above standard.

For those who are having battery and performance issues, I would strongly suggest a new battery
 

TripleOne

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I have an IPhone 6s running 11.2.5 beta. The phone is about 2 years old and battery has seen better days. I downloaded and ran Geekbench 4 to check system and battery performance. The overall system was running about 50% although CPU was at max. Instead of waiting for Apple to replace battery, I purchased and installed one myself. It is as if I have a New phone. Complete system run at or above standard.

For those who are having battery and performance issues, I would strongly suggest a new battery

That’s great news!
Thank you for letting us know.
 

Ledsteplin

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I have an IPhone 6s running 11.2.5 beta. The phone is about 2 years old and battery has seen better days. I downloaded and ran Geekbench 4 to check system and battery performance. The overall system was running about 50% although CPU was at max. Instead of waiting for Apple to replace battery, I purchased and installed one myself. It is as if I have a New phone. Complete system run at or above standard.

For those who are having battery and performance issues, I would strongly suggest a new battery

Glad it works for you. I saw in an Amazon review where someone had purchased a new battery. First thing they did was connect to Coconut Battery online. It showed the battery already had 250+ charge cycles. LOL.
 

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