Apple’s Slowing Down Old iPhones. Is that a Bad Thing?

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Old iPhone models are being slowed down. But why?

Sometime last year I was on my way to work. I lived in Queens, which meant spending about an hour on the train to get to the office (they really screwed us over with that 2nd ave line). One particular morning, a train arrived pretty packed. It had been at the last station with the doors open for some time. I thought nothing of it. Until after I got on and it stopped after the station. Sitting there, trapped on a pack train, my phone goes off. Heavy delays on the line. I wanted to look at my phone. I could get off the train, take a cab to another line, take a bus, or even take a Lyft all the way to work. However, at that exact moment, my phone just shut off. It was down to between 50% and 60%, and I had a defective iPhone 6s battery. I was definitely going to be late to work that day.

Apple gave me a new battery and released a software update to help address the issue, as it was showing up on other devices as well. The software update caused the iPhone to throttle the speed of the processor if the health of the battery was declining or the capacity was low. That doesn’t sound so bad, right? If you had a choice between your phone slowing down or it dying when you need it most, which would you choose? Slowing down, of course. So what’s the big deal? The problem is that Apple has a reputation of slowing down older phones to convince people to upgrade, and by slowing down phones with batteries that have lost their capacity, Apple was essentially targeting older iPhones. So was Apple looking out for its users or were they behaving maliciously to increase iPhone sales which have been in a bit of a slump due to boring designs?

Old iPhone Models Slow Down Over Time, Right?

First, let’s examine the rumor that Apple intentionally slows iPhones down after a new iPhone is released. I’m sure you’ve noticed it, I have too. A new iOS update often makes your phone slow down. We’ve all noticed it, therefore Apple’s guilty, right? Well, not exactly.

The initial slowdown after a new OS is released is usually due to kinks in iOS. More permanent hang ups are due to new features in the operating system that are made for newer iPhones. Older operating systems weren’t just more simplistic because we didn’t build up the software to make them more complex yet, they were more simple because the hardware demanded it. That’s why old hardware eventually gets phased out. New features for the OS bog down the older hardware. Apple tries their best by disabling some of the features on older hardware, as they did for the parallax effect on the home screen for older iPhones when it was introduced, but it’s not enough. New security features, like those implemented to protect against CPU-based attacks, will slow down older hardware more than Apple’s next iPhones.

Eventually, if you keep your iPhone up to date, it will slow down, it’s necessary and a fact of technology. It’s not just your iPhone, it happens on every platform, from Android to Windows. Every time a new OS comes out, people are eager to prove their devices have slowed down due to an evil conspiracy, but benchmarks have consistently proven that Apple is not throttling their older iPhones to convince people to upgrade. However, with the latest versions of iOS, testers were finding that, for the first time, benchmarks were showing slower speeds. The accusations were finally true: Apple was actually throttling the processors.

Why Would Apple do This?

To understand why Apple would slow down iPhones, you have to understand what happens to lithium ion batteries over time. I’ve spoken about “battery health” here without going into exactly what I meant by that. Batteries are not just a magical storage of electricity. You shouldn’t think of them like a bucket, always capable of holding water. It’s a chemical reaction that allows electricity to be stored in individual cells in the battery. These reactions allow a battery to hold a charge, and discharge when required. However, over time, batteries age, and the chemical process for storing and discharging electricity don’t fair well. The battery cannot hold as much of a charge. This has been long known of rechargeable batteries, eventually they die before they used to. However, there’s another problem. Those batteries will also discharge electricity at lower voltages over time. Voltage is power in an electrical system, the ability of electricity to do work. It’s like horsepower in your car. When batteries cannot deliver the amount of voltage that a device requires to operate, the device will immediately shut down.

Sound familiar? This is exactly why Apple had to replace iPhone 6s batteries a little over a year ago. The batteries had aged rapidly, and, under 50%, could no longer reliably provide the voltage to keep the iPhone going. Apple told iPhone users to come in to have their batteries replaced, but batteries were frequently on backorder, and some people didn’t know they should come in, they just thought their iPhones had broken. Apple needed a software-based solution, one that all users could get right away. That came in the form of throttling the iPhone’s processor. With the processor using less electricity, the battery could provide adequate voltage to the entire phone. Since it’s not an issue when battery life is above 50-60%, Apple’s processors would only slow down when the battery could no longer keep up. Now Apple knew that, even if people couldn’t get their batteries replaced when they aged, their phones would still remain operational, albeit in a forced low power mode.

Why Would That Only Happen to Apple?

There are two problems with that question. First: who says this is unique to Apple? I’ve had friends mention before that their devices, phones or computers, often shut down before the battery percentage reaches 0%. This is likely due to poor battery calibration, the tiny microprocessor in the battery doesn’t realize that the battery no longer has the capacity it used to. However, it can also be because the battery isn’t giving enough voltage to power the device, and it promptly shuts down. Other hardware manufacturers have neither the ubiquity of Apple nor the scrutiny, and therefore, if there was such a problem elsewhere, it wouldn’t be realized. There simply wouldn’t be enough people complaining or knowing to complain about other PC or smartphone manufacturers.

Secondly, it actually might be a worse issue on Apple devices. Apple designs both the hardware and the software in Apple products. They’re able to push the boundaries of performance because of this. The iPhone hardware was made for iOS, and vice versa. Apple’s memory management and processor usage is unmatched on Android devices, which require faster clocked processors to compete (and still can’t match Apple’s raw performance), and more memory as well. Whereas an iPhone can get by with 3-4GB of RAM, an equivalent Android device would have at least 6GB of memory. This kind of efficiency means that, if one part isn’t pulling its own weight, the entire system can collapse. With even a slight degradation of battery health, the iPhone can shut down. However, with Apple’s software update, the iPhone hardware can adapt to changing conditions. With just a minor slowdown, iOS can save your iPhone from shutting down.

Why Didn’t Apple Tell People?

This is where Apple truly screwed up. Apple decided to keep this throttling a secret, thinking people might not notice it, or just chalk it up to the normal slow downs seen by older hardware. However, people noticed. A thread on Reddit with benchmarks proved that iPhones were slower with old batteries. From there, more people benchmarked their phones and were able to find evidence of a slow down. Older iPhones with lower battery percentages underperformed. The internet sleuths of Reddit solved the case before Apple fessed up.

Apple doesn’t frequently comment on what they’re doing. Apple is a secretive place. Because of this, it seems obvious they wouldn’t tell anyone about throttling their devices. On top of that, Apple knew they’d be delivering bad news. No one wants a slower device. If Apple made an announcement about slowing down old iPhones, they’d still face the same backlash. Furthermore, that backlash would come with a cost. As soon as people realize old batteries were slowing their devices down, they’d ask for new ones. Some of them would be covered under warranty, which would just be a huge loss for Apple. Others, people would have to pay a lot of money for, and would be unhappy, perhaps less willing to buy an Apple product in the future.

What is Apple Doing?

Apple’s working to make sure everyone is happy with their iPhones, even older ones. Apple started up a new battery replacement program for users who can come in and have their battery replaced for $29. Just as they predicted, it’s popular. Apple still has shortages on a few batteries because so many people didn’t want the chance of their batteries slowing them down. Also, since Apple said that they’ll replace any iPhone battery for $29, people came in with healthy batteries who were getting them preemptively replaced. Due to low stock, Apple has been prioritizing replacements for those who actually need new batteries, but thanks to the widespread knowledge of Apple’s throttling workaround, everyone with an older iPhone wants a new battery.

What about that price, $29? It’s actually a good price on a battery. Apple used to charge $79 for this service. You could likely buy one yourself for $20-$30, and install it yourself, but you run the risk of damaging your iPhone, you’d need to buy the tools, and you’d break your warranty. At $29, Apple may be selling these batteries at cost. However, that’s still not a loss for Apple. When people come into the Apple store for a repair, they might decide to just buy a new iPhone instead.

Could This Still be a Ploy?

Could Apple still be artificially slowing down iPhones? Possibly, but I doubt it. If a new iPhone has battery problems, it would be a sign of a much larger problem that requires immediate attention. That’s why Apple isn’t putting these restrictions on new iPhones. However, Apple could be slowing iPhones down more than they need to once the battery health and battery capacity becomes too slow to facility full speed performance. If, for example, the device could keep operating at 70% speed, they could be slowing it down to 60% speed. This likely keeps the iPhone safe from spikes in usage, but perhaps it’s to keep the older iPhones slower, and therefore increase the likelihood of an upgrade. The idea that Apple has a nefarious plot won’t go away, but it’s unlikely. Also, Apple is looking to be more transparent about battery health, allowing users to see the health of their batteries right in iOS. An update that makes information about battery health available to users on their devices will be coming in early 2018.

What Should You Do?

If you have an older iPhone, and you’re not ready to upgrade yet, pay attention to your iPhone. If you notice it feels a lot slower under 60% battery, consider going to the Apple Store. You might want to make an appointment to come in first. I recommend calling your store to see if they have the batteries in stock. If a battery is in stock, replacement takes an hour or less. You don’t want to go to your Apple Store and find out that you can’t get a new one for weeks. If they say your battery is fine, and you’re still unhappy with the performance, you may want to upgrade devices instead. However, if there is a problem, and you don’t plan to upgrade in a few months, getting a new battery for $29 is a small price to pay for the increased battery life and speed. You can find your local Apple store on Apple’s support website.

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Sources:

• Samuel Axon, Ars Technica: “Geekbench and Reddit think they’ve cracked why iPhones get slower over time.”
• Roger Fingas, AppleInsider: “Apple running low on iPhone 6 Plus batteries, postponing some swaps until March.”
• Jen Kirby, Vox: “Apple admitted it’s slowing down certain iPhones.”
• Nilay Patel, The Verge: “Apple apologizes for iPhone slowdown drama, will offer $29 battery replacements for a year.”