WHY’S MY PHONE ON THE iBLINK?
Apple ‘slows’ older models
APPLE has been accused of slowing down older iPhones to force customers to fork out for an upgrade.
The tech giant is said to make the processor “sluggish” as the batteries wear out.
John Poole, founder of the Canadian software firm Primate Labs, gathered data from thousands of iPhones after users complained older models with ageing batteries performed badly.
He probed the iPhone 6S and 7 and found some devices were slower despite having a software update.
Mr Poole said: “I believe, as do others, that Apple introduced a change to limit performance when battery condition decreases past a certain point.
“This fix will also cause users to think, ‘My phone is slow so I should replace it’ not, ‘My phone is slow so I should replace its battery’.”
Some claim by replacing batteries, phones return to their original speed. The lithium batteries in iPhones are designed to last for 500 full charges, which is meant to cover two years.
But users tend to plug in their phones at least once a day, which would mean 700 charges every two years.
Experts say the more a person charges their gadget, the quicker the battery ages.
Apple has faced criticism since the iPhone 6S models began shutting down despite still showing 40% battery.
The company replaced batteries in the affected phones and launched a new system to tackle the problem.
Apple has yet to respond to the claims. Pictures: REUTERS; EPA