Apple has come under fire in recent years
for intentionally slowing down older iPhones, so in this video I’m going to explain why
they do it. And it all begins with their lithium-ion batteries
that run into several user-experience problems as they age. As I mentioned in my last video, recharging
these batteries over and over cause their capacity to slowly degrade over time. Leading to an older iPhone having capacity
than on the day it was unboxed. This not only results in shorter battery life,
but also performance issues. When your iPhone performs a task, its processor
uses computational power to complete it.
The more intense a task, the more power it
uses. And all of the processor’s energy is drawn
from the battery. But a problem arises when the iPhone ages. Not only does its lithium-ion battery become
less efficient, but its older processor has to complete more intense tasks. Thanks to more advanced iOS features built
for the latest high-powered iPhone models. And that’s the problem. Your older iPhone has to perform more energy-intensive
tasks year after year. All while it’s battery is becoming less
efficient. This trend eventually reaches a critical point. Typically when a battery falls below 80% efficiency,
it can cause an iPhone to shut down unexpectedly. Which is triggered by the processor pulling
more energy than its battery can provide. This issue exists on most devices with rechargeable
batteries, and every manufacturer has to decide how they’ll deal with it.
Some simply allow the unexpected shut downs
to occur. While others, like Apple, implement software
solutions to prevent them from happening. When it comes to an older iPhone running iOS
10.2 or later, it’ll begin slowing down performance once its battery efficiency falls
to eighty percent. That way, the processor won’t run the risk
of pulling too much energy from the degrading battery. Preventing a shut down. Now since Apple admitted to slowing down older
iPhones in 2017, they added a switch in battery health settings to allow for peak performance
mode. This gives users the choice to ignore battery
health and allows the processor to operate at full power, even if that means triggering
an unexpected shut down.
Now some people watching this video might
argue Apple slowed down older iPhones to force users to upgrade. But consider the alternative. A device that randomly shuts down is hardly
reliable, and might even contribute to more people upgrading compared to one that performs
a bit slower, but can still be used. Also, replacing an older iPhone’s battery
solves this performance problem, which provides an affordable solution that doesn’t require
purchasing a completely new device. This is Greg with Apple Explained, thanks
for watching till the end, and I’ll see you in the next video..
