Apple have confirmed that they intentionally slow down old iPhones to “prolong device life”.
The tech company recently released two new iPhone models – the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X.
Reddit users had speculated that iOS updates had caused their old phones to slow down, and had reported replacing the batteries had caused their devices to return to their former speeds.In a statement to The Verge, Apple confirmed new iOS updates included a feature to suppress the CPU, but said it was intended to prevent phones randomly shutting down and combat issues lithium-ion batteries face as they age. “Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices,” the statement read.
“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.”
Apple admits they deliberately slow down old iPhones
It continued: “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.”
Meanwhile, earlier this month Apple denied reports it is preparing to retire the iTunes music store as soon as 2019.
Digital Music News recently reported that a “phase-out” is currently underway, which will complete by early 2019. Apple launched their own streaming service Apple Music back in 2015 – Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the time: “It will change the way you experience music forever”.
This article originally appeared on NME.