Apple admits to intentionally slow down your iphone

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WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
30,937
8,668
136


slowing down processors make them more efficient. this is a well known and understood fact. even the author of the article understands it



yeah, NSS
Well this is to stop the processor being so bursty, its already not running at full clocks most of the time. Im not sure how much juice you'd save smoothing out those voltage spikes that are causing the shut downs.
 

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
If phone's are experiencing random shutdowns due to the battery... shouldn't there be some kind of recall or design change to fix this? It doesn't seem like expected behavior. I don't recall this being a well known issue with any Android phone (if it is someone please let us know).

At the end of the day it's not about what Apple is doing, it's about what they're not doing. They should be notifying users about any changes to the phone being made due to degraded batteries.
 
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WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
30,937
8,668
136
If phone's are experiencing random shutdowns due to the battery... shouldn't there be some kind of recall or design change to fix this? It doesn't seem like expected behavior. I don't recall this being a well known issue with any Android phone (if it is someone please let us know).

I suspect that's something that they are trying to avoid. Remember here in the EU there's a two year warranty on last electrical products plus if something is sold with a know defect you can get a replacement or refund for a long time after that.
 

jtvang125

Diamond Member
Nov 10, 2004
5,399
51
91
If phone's are experiencing random shutdowns due to the battery... shouldn't there be some kind of recall or design change to fix this? It doesn't seem like expected behavior. I don't recall this being a well known issue with any Android phone (if it is someone please let us know).

At the end of the day it's not about what Apple is doing, it's about what they're not doing. They should be notifying users about any changes to the phone being made due to degraded batteries.

This definitely happened with my LG G3. It would just shutdown randomly or during a heavy cpu load. Some apps would refuse to run. Fortunately the battery was user replaceable and a new one solved the issues. However this was only after researching a bit because my impression of a degrading battery was shorter battery life until it's dead and the phone will no longer turn on at all.
 

Phynaz

Lifer
Mar 13, 2006
10,140
819
126
just change the goddamn battery, why the fck do they need to throttle the processor speed?

Because lithium batteries are basically chemical bombs.

The shutting down / slowing of a CPU isn't to protect the device, it's to protect the user from that chemical bomb. Have you ever seen a YouTube video of a lithium battery going critical? How would you like that to happen in your pocket?

Lithium battery current MUST be restricted. So you can either restrict the current of an old degraded battery by shutting down the phone, or slowing down the CPU.

A slow phone provides a better user experience than a non-functional phone. Especially if you are calling roadside assistance at night.

Excellent discussion here: https://www.imore.com/iphoneslow-what-analysts-and-experts-have-say . Note the discussion around the idea that the battery is communicating its condition to the power management system.
 
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WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
30,937
8,668
136
Because lithium batteries are basically chemical bombs.

The shutting down / slowing of a CPU isn't to protect the device, it's to protect the user from that chemical bomb. Have you ever seen a YouTube video of a lithium battery going critical? How would you like that to happen in your pocket?

Lithium battery current MUST be restricted. So you can either restrict the current of an old degraded battery by shutting down the phone, or slowing down the CPU.

A slow phone provides a better user experience than a non-functional phone. Especially if you are calling roadside assistance at night.

Excellent discussion here: https://www.imore.com/iphoneslow-what-analysts-and-experts-have-say . Note the discussion around the idea that the battery is communicating its condition to the power management system.
But this was done through a software update. IPhones were perfectly safe before this update and not "chemical bombs". The batteries have circuitry in them to stop them from discharging dangerously.
 

ChronoReverse

Platinum Member
Mar 4, 2004
2,562
31
91
This is a question of engineering since all of these battery factors are well-known even before the first iPhone was built. The leeway for battery deterioration is clearly too small if a non-trivial number of phones are having trouble within 2 years.

Considering the code to throttle was added after the fact, it doesn't seem like Apple intentionally used too little leeway but rather the batteries are deteriorating faster than expected and they're covering it up by throttling. Lots of possible reasons. The particular battery chemistry they're using could be wearing faster over time than via cycles. Or maybe there's a bit more concentrated heat near the battery than expected. People using full-speed charging instead of the slower stock charger could be affecting things.
 

Phynaz

Lifer
Mar 13, 2006
10,140
819
126
But this was done through a software update.
And? I know most people are not used to companies improving their products after the sale. Especially Android users who typically get abandoned about 15 minutes after they walk out the door.

IPhones were perfectly safe before this update and not "chemical bombs".
By shutting down the phone. Now the phone doesn't shut down. See the difference?

The batteries have circuitry in them to stop them from discharging dangerously
I can tell you didn't bather to read the article I linked. Apple designs their own power management chips, so they have greater control of power usage across the entire device.
 

Oyeve

Lifer
Oct 18, 1999
21,935
836
126
And? I know most people are not used to companies improving their products after the sale. Especially Android users who typically get abandoned about 15 minutes after they walk out the door.


By shutting down the phone. Now the phone doesn't shut down. See the difference?


I can tell you didn't bather to read the article I linked. Apple designs their own power management chips, so they have greater control of power usage across the entire device.
How much is Apple Inc. paying you?

But seriously, my only issue is apple not giving you a choice to opt out of slowdowns.
 

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
21,822
20,168
136
How much is Apple Inc. paying you?

But seriously, my only issue is apple not giving you a choice to opt out of slowdowns.

They are paying him nothing, he is just an irrational minion based upon good marketing and a cult-like following.

So Apple let everyone walk around for years with little bombs in their pockets and did nothing about it. Years later they decided to do something about it except didn't tell anybody. No warnings that the battery was getting dangerous so early in the products lifespan - maybe you should change your battery now. Why would they do that? They decided to go behind the scenes and force users to deal with piss poor performance to the point that many probably got another phone, and others just suffered with it. They gave nobody a choice, communicated nothing, and acted like Gods. Just like their little minions think they are.
 

Oyeve

Lifer
Oct 18, 1999
21,935
836
126
They are paying him nothing, he is just an irrational minion based upon good marketing and a cult-like following.

So Apple let everyone walk around for years with little bombs in their pockets and did nothing about it. Years later they decided to do something about it except didn't tell anybody. No warnings that the battery was getting dangerous so early in the products lifespan - maybe you should change your battery now. Why would they do that? They decided to go behind the scenes and force users to deal with piss poor performance to the point that many probably got another phone, and others just suffered with it. They gave nobody a choice, communicated nothing, and acted like Gods. Just like their little minions think they are.
Well, I recentely replaced my work phone, an iphone 7, with a pixel 2. No fan of the pixel 2 but its just so much better than the iphone 7. My daily personal phone is an S8+ and Note 8. I tried changing the battery on an old iphone 6 and it was easy enough but I took a hammer to it (along with my Note 7) and it felt like the right thing to do.
 

Zaap

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2008
7,162
424
126
Okay, seriously.. the logic. Lithium batteries get more explosive the LESS charge they hold, and so you need to under-clock a phone's CPU to combat this...

...despite the fact that -as pointed out- there was no massive problem "iPhone bombs" BEFORE Apple did any of this.


... uhhhm...

I dunno, I'm no expert by any means, but this doesn't sound like reality to me.

(Also if Im to believe this, sounds like Samsung should have UPPED the capacity of batteries in its devices, not downed it, to combat another Note 7 type disaster.)
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,689
2,811
126
Apple is offering discounted $29 out of warranty battery replacement for iPhone 6 and up starting in late January 2018 through December 2018 because of this scandal. My sister has the iPhone 6 Plus and she said her phone slowed down so much it's almost unusable. This should help her big time and allow her to continue to use the phone for couple more years.
 
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Oyeve

Lifer
Oct 18, 1999
21,935
836
126
Apple is offering discounted $29 out of warranty battery replacement for iPhone 6 and up starting in late January 2018 through December 2018 because of this scandal. My sister has the iPhone 6 Plus and she said her phone slowed down so much it's almost unusable. This should help her big time and allow her to continue to use the phone for couple more years.
That's good.
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,689
2,811
126
That's good.
I'm glad Apple got caught and is getting burned for this. They definitely deserve it. But $29 battery replacement is going to benefit and help lot of people out. Lot more than class action lawsuits which will only benefit lawyers. I texted my sister and she's very excited and will take advantage of the discounted battery replacement offer.
 

TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
12,089
45
91
Apple is offering discounted $29 out of warranty battery replacement for iPhone 6 and up starting in late January 2018 through December 2018 because of this scandal. My sister has the iPhone 6 Plus and she said her phone slowed down so much it's almost unusable. This should help her big time and allow her to continue to use the phone for couple more years.
If the phone is slow all the time, your sister may be equally or better served by a full wipe and restore. Sometimes software cruft accumulates over the years, especially if you're always doing an upgrade from iOS n to iOS n+1. This issue only altered the CPU performance during peak draw, not all the time. If the CPU was about to pull enough juice out of the battery as to cause the device to shut-down to protect itself, this patch would instead throttle the CPU, so as to not draw too much power. While they'll likely NOT give the user an option to opt out (since the alternative is that the phone just up and shuts down rather than slow down), but their press release did say that they'll make the battery health and its impact more clear in an update to iOS 11.
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,689
2,811
126
If the phone is slow all the time, your sister may be equally or better served by a full wipe and restore. Sometimes software cruft accumulates over the years, especially if you're always doing an upgrade from iOS n to iOS n+1. This issue only altered the CPU performance during peak draw, not all the time. If the CPU was about to pull enough juice out of the battery as to cause the device to shut-down to protect itself, this patch would instead throttle the CPU, so as to not draw too much power. While they'll likely NOT give the user an option to opt out (since the alternative is that the phone just up and shuts down rather than slow down), but their press release did say that they'll make the battery health and its impact more clear in an update to iOS 11.
Apple recommends backup and wipe before any battery change so this will solve all the problem. iPhone 6 Plus is like 3 years old. She uses her phone a ton and her battery is super worn. This will solve her problem. My daughter has the 6S and had the battery changed earlier this year for free due to the battery recall. I plan to take advantage and have the battery changed again in Dec 2018 on her phone. Can't beat $29 battery replacement from Apple. That's a deal.
 

core2slow

Senior member
Mar 7, 2008
774
20
81
My only problem is all those people who are forced to sell/trade/upgrade their phones because of the perceived slowness (legacy hardware/software incompatibility, etc) only now facing the realization that it was done on purpose without user consent. What will happen to those people?
 

Oyeve

Lifer
Oct 18, 1999
21,935
836
126
My only problem is all those people who are forced to sell/trade/upgrade their phones because of the perceived slowness (legacy hardware/software incompatibility, etc) only now facing the realization that it was done on purpose without user consent. What will happen to those people?
Nothing, they probably bought the iPhone x.
 

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
30,937
8,668
136
The conclusion I draw from these posts is neither of you are actually interested in having a discussion. Welcome to my ignore list.
TBF some of your points don't make logical sense.

You said that they are doing this to stop the battery degrading but this doesn't kick in until the battery is already degraded for instance.
 
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