Apple said Wednesday that iPhones with older batteries may operate more slowly thanks to a software feature from updates beginning last year, but said it was intended to prevent sudden shutdowns of the phones, not to encourage users with older phones to upgrade.
Beginning with 10.2.1 operating system updates, better power management may mean slower operation as Apple attempted to address the sudden shutdown problem many of its iPhone 6 and 7 phones can have as they get older, CNet reported.
The iOS update 11.2 also impacted the phones, particularly for the 7 models, CNet said. Other aging Apple devices could be impacted by future updates as well.
The issue was discovered by Geekbench, which tested phones processing power and discovered that the phones were running at much slower processor speeds after the updates than they had been before.
Apple released a statement to TechCrunch confirming the throttling of older phones' performance and explaining that it was to stop unwanted phone shutdowns many users were experiencing.
When an older iPhone's battery was replaced, some Reddit users found, the CPU speed went back up, The Verge reported. Replacing an iPhone battery is not easy to do, but professionals can do it quickly and at a much lower cost than purchasing a new phone.
Twitter users commented that Apple should do a better job of communicating that changing the battery may help the phone perform better so that people don’t assume they need an entirely new phone.
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