Apple Admits That It Intentionally Slows Down Old iPhones And Fans Are Screaming Foul!

Apple is the legit baap of all tech companies, and not just in terms of sales. For a very long time, Apple had zero social media presence. And even after it finally did join Twitter, it still hasn’t tweeted a single thing from its handle, but still managed to retain its 1.57 million followers. That, my friends, is peak customer loyalty.

There are two kinds of Apple users: the ones for whom each iPhone is a transition phone until Apple announces a new one, and those who will stick with their old iPhones, even if it is slow and has major battery issues. And this latest piece of news that comes directly from Apple might be a heartbreaking betrayal for the latter.

After countless rumours over the years on Reddit and tech websites that Apple throttles their older iPhones when new iOS updates are launched, the tech giant has finally officially confirmed the news: Yes, your older iPhone has been intentionally slowed down.

Several tech analysts have shared evidence which proves that Apple indeed slows down the device performance gradually as newer iOS updates are introduced in order to balance out deteriorating battery performances.

So it's true Apple intentionally slow down old iPhones. Proof: My iPhone 6 was bought 3years ago and recently got really slow. APP 'CPU DasherX' shows iPhone CPU is under clocked running at 600MHz. After a iPhone battery replacement. CPU speed resumed to factory setting 1400MHz. pic.twitter.com/pML3y0Jkp2

— Sam Si (@Sam_RMSI) December 20, 2017

The news, first broken by TechCrunch, has left many iPhone fans feeling slightly affronted.

Apple, however, would like to let you know that its intentions were, in fact, quite noble. It’s basically a case of choosing slowdown over shutdown.

https://twitter.com/reneritchie/status/943563799205879809

In layman terms, when your older phones get a new iOS upgrade, your phone’s processor demands more power to effectively execute the new functions. However, the lithium-ion batteries in old phones cannot keep up with the processor’s demands for more power draws and, invariably, your iPhone shuts down a lot.

By slowing down the CPU performance (and consequently, your phone), Apple is just trying to make sure your phone does not suffer shutdowns a lot and damage its internal components.

https://twitter.com/reneritchie/status/943572159485661187

An alternate option, which several techies believe Apple could’ve considered, was giving its users an option to switch to new batteries once their old batteries started degrading.

https://twitter.com/reneritchie/status/943572453267255296

According to them, simply replacing your degraded battery with a new one can bring the CPU performance back to its usual parameters, and thus, your phone speed back to normal. All this would take is a simple upgrade notification from iPhone. Also, it would be a lot cheaper than upgrading to a new iPhone altogether, no?

This bone of contention has ruffled up a lot of feathers. Twitter is full of iPhone loyalists calling out Apple over this sly betrayal.

1. Et tu, Apple?

https://twitter.com/stopbeingfamous/status/943679960564281344

2. Yeah, Apple, how about giving your users a little warning first?

https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/943574888106942464

3. Ittefaq much?

Apple confirmed that when a new phone is released they slow the operating speed of old models, claiming it's to maximize the performance the latest tech.

Yeah cuz I'm sure the added effect of frustrated customers giving up and buying the latest model is just a happy coincidence.

— Noah Kinsey (@thenoahkinsey) December 21, 2017

4. If it’s a noble intention, then why hide it from your customers?

This is actually a pretty cool way of managing battery life as a phone ages, but it's also pretty disingenuous to not tell the user about it, and let them assume their phone just got slow pic.twitter.com/mc9TDi6EH7

— Owen Williams ⚡ (@ow) December 19, 2017

They argue they're protecting users by optimizing their battery 'magically' — so be up front about it and tell them about it.

Anything less is not excusable if you're lead to believe it's slow.. when a replacement battery will do the trick.

— Owen Williams ⚡ (@ow) December 20, 2017

5. Just send a damn notification, guys. How difficult it that?

If Apple is going to slow down an old phone so the battery can handle it, you should receive several alerts about it. They're coercing people to buy something new, even if they want to pretend that isn't their intention.

— Nicole (@c0z) December 20, 2017

6. Hahahahahahhahahaha NO.

Apple: “We slow phones down because as batteries age, they can’t keep up with new software…”
Everyone: “That wouldn’t be a problem if we could replace the batteries.”
Apple: *laughs* “that’s cute.”https://t.co/J2Gsdviy4v

— Timothy McDonald (@timothy_mcd) December 21, 2017

7. Buying a new iPhone because your older one couldn’t perform, is the equivalent of “Agar tum har gaya, toh tum humko teen guna lagaan dega“!

This will be seen by many as a new Apple tax – forcing users to upgrade early, pay for a replacement battery… or be stuck with a slow phone.

— Jim Connolly (@JimConnolly) December 20, 2017

We all are known to use several hacks, delete unused data and apps, and kill processor actions to save battery life once our phones start growing old. It’s a common and completely sensible practice.

However, this is where the debate steps on treacherous footing. What Apple is trying to do is make sure its customers enjoy all the upgrades that the users of its latest phones do. And for that, it compromises on speed. So far so good.

The real thorn in our sides is why Tim Cook and team could not just have laid down all its cards on the table and given their users the choice to opt for the setting or switch to newer batteries.

So what do we call it then? A white lie for the greater good or a well-played bluff?

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