Some folks have been claiming for Apple intentionally releases software updates that slow down performance of older iPhones in order to prompt customers to buy new phones. So when the company acknowledged last year that a software updated designed to prevent phones with older batteries from shutting down unexpectedly was doing so by slowing down phones in some situations, many folks cried foul. Some even initiated class action lawsuits.

Apple responded by dropping the price of replacement batteries for the next year and promising to deliver a future software update that would give users a better look at the health of their iPhone batteries.

Now Apple CEO Tim Cook says that’s not all the company is doing. An upcoming software update will also let users disable throttling altogether.

iFixit

In an interview with ABC News, (about 4:30 into the video embedded below), Cook says he doesn’t recommend disabling throttling, since doing so may cause phones with older batteries to shut off unexpectedly. That can certainly be a problem if you’re in the middle of a phone call, using GPS navigation, or doing anything else important. But if you’re willing to take that risk, the software will let you keep the phone from acting any slower today than it did when the battery was fresh.

The iPhone throttling issue affects iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, and iPhone SE models running iOS 11.2 or later if they have degraded batteries.

Aside from the software updates, Apple is offering users who are disappointed in the performance of their phones with aging batteries the option of replacing the battery for $29 if they do it by December, 2018. The usual price for a battery replacement is $79.

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7 replies on “Apple will let iPhone users disable CPU throttling (at their own peril)”

  1. Wow, Apple is bending more and more nowadays to user blacklash. I guess that’s good. At least these software changes are nice. I really like the battery health indicator. I bought an iPhone SE over a year ago since it seemed like it’s the cheapest phone that’ll get the longest bug and security updates. It’s been nice so far and I welcome these updates.

    I hope Apple continues the SE/low end line (seems like there’re rumors of an SE 2) since I doubt I’ll ever pay more than $450 for a phone.

    1. They’re bending due to being sued.

      Quite frankly I don’t understand why this wasn’t a choice to begin with, but that’s not to say it wasn’t surprising Apple’s arrogance (lack of user choice) and inability to see the obvious results (lawsuits)

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