Apple clarifies iPhone battery deterioration rumours

Apple has addressed concerns that some models of the iPhone slow down as they age. The renowned mobile giant was accused of deliberately slowing down older devices to encourage consumers to upgrade. Apple has confirmed that it does in fact slow down some models as they age, but only because the phones’ battery performance diminishes over time.

“First and foremost, we have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades. Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.”

All rechargeable batteries, including the iPhone batteries are consumable components that become less effective as they chemically age and their ability to hold a charge diminishes over time. A chemically aged battery also becomes less capable of delivering peak energy loads, especially in a low state of charge, which may result in a device unexpectedly shutting itself down in some situations.

To avoid shutdowns on the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE, Apple delivered a software update – 10.2.1. With the update, iOS dynamically manages the maximum performance of some system components when needed to prevent a shutdown. While these changes may go unnoticed, in some cases users may experience longer launch times for apps and other reductions in performance.

Over the fall, Apple received feedback from users who were seeing slower performance, they now believe the continued chemical aging of the batteries in older iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S devices contributed to this.

To address customer concerns, Apple has reduced the price of an out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement by £54 – from £79 to £25 for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later, whose battery needs to be replaced, until December 2018. Apple will also issue an iOS update with new features that will offer more visibility into the health of your iPhone battery so you can monitor if its condition is affecting performance.

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