Apple really does slow down some older iPhones

Apple Inc has addressed claimsfrom an app company that says the maker of iPhones slows downthe performance of older phones.

On Monday, the blog Primate Labs, a company that makes anapp for measuring the speed of an iPhone's processor, publisheddata that appeared to show slower performance in the Apple'siPhone 6s and iPhone 7 models as they aged.

Apple on Wednesday acknowledged that the company does takesome measures to reduce power demands which can have theeffect of slowing the processor when a phone's battery ishaving trouble supplying the peak current that the processordemands.

The problem stems from the fact that all lithium-ionbatteries, not just those found in Apple products, degrade andhave problems supplying the big bursts as they age andaccumulate charging cycles, Apple said in a statement. Theproblems with peak current draws can also occur when batteriesare cold or low on charge.

"Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s andiPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only whenneeded to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting downduring these conditions," Apple said in an emailed statement toReuters. "We've now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.

Sudden shutdown fix

When an iPhone's processor makes a big current draw from aflagging battery, the battery can deliver the current in spikesthat can potentially damage the phone's electronics. As aresult, iPhones would suddenly shut down to protect the priceyprocessor from being damaged by the power spikes.

The sudden shutdown problem became widespread among iPhonesin late 2016, forcing Apple to issue a software fix that had thenet result of slowing the phone somewhat with an old, cold orlow-charged battery, the company said.

The problem can be remedied by replacing the phone'sbattery. In Canada, Apple charges $99to replace batteries not coveredunder the phone's warranty. The company has long faced criticismfrom repair advocates for making its batteries difficult forusers to replace on their own.