Apple facing many class-action lawsuits over intentional iPhone slowdown!

The iOS 11 update is a giant step for the iPhone and a monumental leap for the iPad, according to Apple. It brings along slurry of new features creating a user experience that is supposedly a lot better for the end-user than last year's iOS 10.

Even though the iOS 11 update has received an encouraging response owners of previous generation devices are still hesitant to make a jump. Every new 'major' iOS update has a reputation for slowing down an older iPhone/iPad.

The plot
The controversy began when owners of the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, and 6s Plus, SE started complaining earlier in the year that their devices were shutting down out of the blue, even though they had sufficient battery. Apple acknowledged the issue and a fix was then rolled out through the iOS 10.2.1 update. The iPhone 6,6 Plus 6s, and 6s Plus, SE no longer shut down out of the blue. But they did slow down, according to some owners.


Popular benchmarking company Geekbench sprung into action after an iPhone owner apparently took to Reddit to narrate how his/her iPhone 6s had been running frustratingly slow and that the problem went away after a battery replacement.

"The fact that Apple took all this while to confess all the facts about its  'covert' operations hasn't gone down too well with iPhone owners"

Geekbench does what it does best. The company ran some tests and found that Apple had made changes to iOS -- the software that drives all its iPhones, iPads and iPods -- that intentionally "limit the performance  of older iPhone models  when battery condition decreases past a certain point." The effect was more pronounced with iOS 11.2 and was seen with the iPhone 7 as well, which was launched only last year

The revelation
The Geekbench data got a lot of online buzzes, and finally, Apple responded. Apple's response to Geekbench and a plethora of iPhone owners who've made those allegations over the years seemingly confirmed all of that. Apple does indeed slow down older iPhones, but, apparently, there's a method to its madness.

Apple says it's doing this to protect your iPhone "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"

The lawsuits
The fact that Apple took all this while to confess - all the facts about its 'secretive' operations hasn't gone down too well with iPhone owners. They're not a happy lot, and evidently, they're letting the Cupertino major know with lawsuits. As many as eight iPhone users have reportedly filed a lawsuit others would likely follow.

iPhone owners though lawsuits are claiming that they all upgraded their devices to newer models once their existing phones slowed down after updating to new versions of iOS. Had they known their batteries were to blame for the slowdown, they would have instead replaced the battery instead of buying a new iPhone.

"Rather than curing the battery defect by providing a free battery replacement for all affected iPhones, Apple sought to mask the battery defect," reads one complaint.

Apple addressing this issue(taken from appple.com)

We’ve always wanted our customers to be able to use their iPhones as long as possible. We’re proud that Apple products are known for their durability, and for holding their value longer than our competitors’ devices.

To address our customers’ concerns, to recognize their loyalty and to regain the trust of anyone who may have doubted Apple’s intentions, we’ve decided to take the following steps:

• Apple is reducing the price of an out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement by ₹3,900 — from ₹5,900 to ₹2,000 — for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced, starting in late January and available worldwide through December 2018. Details will be provided soon on apple.com.
• Early in 2018, we will issue an iOS software update with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone’s battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance.
• As always, our team is working on ways to make the user experience even better, including improving how we manage performance and avoid unexpected shutdowns as batteries age.

At Apple, our customers’ trust means everything to us. We will never stop working to earn and maintain it. We are able to do the work we love only because of your faith and support — and we will never forget that or take it for granted.

My Point of view

I think that Apple's intentions of slowing down older iPhones was not terrible but they could've been a little more transparent about it and the owners of old iPhones who bought new ones because they noticed a slight decline in their old iPhone's performance would've changed the battery of the old iPhone rather than purchasing a new one.

For reading apple's apology, solution and for a more detailed explanation visit: https://www.apple.com/in/iphone-battery-and-performance/

Thank you for viewing my blogs and If you think I can improve on something please feel free to email me at unknownboss8055@gmail.com