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Apple replied to the report showing that the performance of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 appeared to dwindle with age. On Wednesday, the iPhone maker admitted that it is tampering with the phones’ speed, but for a noble purpose: to reduce power demands.
The fact that the processor of older iPhones gets slowed down in the process is just a side-effect, the company explained.
Batteries of older models need boosts of power to keep with the processor’s increasing demands. But as lithium-ion batteries age they are less and less able to provide the energy boosts and complete the charging cycles. This problem can also occur when the handset is exposed to low temperatures or low on charge.
Apple Admits to Slowing Down Older Phones
Apple told Reuters that it had to find a workaround to address the issues. In 2016, the tech giant rolled out a feature that enabled the iPhone 6 and iPhone SE models to cope with the big boosts of energy which upped the risk of an abrupt shut-down.
We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future,
Apple said in a written statement.
When a processor needs extra power when doing complex processes, it draws the power from the battery. However, if the battery is getting old, it tends to deliver the extra power in spikes which can hurt the processor. This is why the iPhone is programmed to shut down to prevent further damage.
Many users have reported problems like the abrupt shutdown of their older iPhones last year. In response, Apple issued an update that slowed the phones down when the battery is old, low-charged, or exposed to low temperatures.
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