It seems that Geekbench’s accusation that Apple purposefully slows down iPhone performance wasn’t all that wrong, as the company has now responded. Admitting that his is, in fact, the case, Apple went on to confirm that the reasoning is to ensure device performance after battery degradation.
“Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components,” said the firm in a statement.
“Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We've now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.”
Geekbench has criticised the lack of warning on the practice before it happens, stating that while it is better than losing your phone’s power completely while at 40 percent battery, it’s a practice that feeds into the notion that Apple is doing this solely to drive the sales of its newer models. This is something that Apple adamantly denies.
Changing the battery is seemingly a solution for some, who have gone on to report an increase in both battery life and performance after doing so. This is an expensive process at $79 over in the US and isn’t even covered by the device’s warranty.
KitGuru Says: While it seems like a decent temporary solution, to know that this is the indefinite fix is a little jarring. At the very least, it would be nice to give the users’ a heads up or chance to opt-in. What do you think about the solution?