Apple has confirmed it is slowing down older models of the iPhone, claiming it was in an effort to prevent random shutdowns.
According to the Verge, “Geekbench developer John Poole has mapped out performance for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 over time, and has come to the conclusion that Apple’s iOS 10.2.1 and 11.2.0 updates introduce this throttling for different devices.”
“iOS 10.2.1 is particularly relevant, as this update was designed to reduce random shutdown issues for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S. Apple’s fix appears to be throttling the CPU to prevent the phone from randomly shutting down,” they explained. “Geekbench reports that iOS 11.2.0 introduces similar throttling for iPhone 7 units with older batteries.”
After other users online noticed the slower speeds of their older devices and started to complain, Apple confirmed their theories in a statement.
“Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices,” the company declared, explaining, “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.”
“Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions,” Apple continued. “We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.”
Some users on Twitter, however, alleged Apple were slowing down older devices in an effort to force customers to upgrade.
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington and Gab @Nash, or like his page at Facebook.
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