“Apple is being sued after it admitted to slowing down older iPhone models to keep them running longer,” Arjun Kharpal reports for CNBC. “On Wednesday, the U.S. technology giant said that it has algorithms in place to help keep an iPhone running at optimal performance if there is an older battery inside that can’t keep up with the required power. The aim is to stop unexpected shutdowns of older iPhones and keep them running to the best possible standard.”
“However, Stefan Bogdanovich and Dakota Speas brought a class action lawsuit in California — where they are residents — against Apple, an official filing revealed Thursday,” Kharpal reports. “They claim that Apple never requested consent from them to ‘slow down their iPhones.’ Both plaintiffs are owners of an iPhone 7. Bogdanovich and Speas claim they ‘suffered interferences to their iPhone usage due to the intentional slowdowns.'”
Kharpal reports, “Both people are also claiming damages from Apple because they said the company’s actions caused them to suffer ‘economic damages and other harm for which they are entitled to compensation.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: “Economic damages and other harm?” Puleeeze.
Apple should provide a toggle switch in Settings where users specify if they’d like to keep running at high processor speeds even if it means rapid shutdowns or if they’d like to run at lower processors speeds to accommodate an aging battery that requires replacement.
Again, lithium-ion batteries are to mobile devices as tires are to vehicles.
As with your car’s tires, which are not covered in even the most comprehensive vehicle service arrangements, your iPhone batteries are your responsibility. Normal wear and tear. Apple, if they should do anything, should make this point exceedingly clear and even include an alert on devices to inform users that states something like:
Your battery has just completed its 500th charging cycle and, to maintain peak performance, needs to be replaced. Your battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles. Your warranty covers a defective battery, but it doesn’t cover battery wear from normal use. For your convenience, your device will continue operating at reduced processor speeds until replacement can be performed.
• If you’re covered under AppleCare+, we’ll replace your battery at no charge if it retains less than 80 percent of its original capacity.
• If your iPhone needs battery replacement and it’s not covered, the service fee is $79.
• If your iPhone has another power issue, we’ll give you the repair price after we determine the cause.The three bullet points above are exactly Apple’s policy today.
Information on how to maximize your iPhone’s battery life and lifespan is here.
🤣 So true, but it's already been established that people don't seem to understand that batteries wear out – at least when they're in an iPhone.
— MacDailyNews (@MacDailyNews) December 21, 2017
SEE ALSO:
How and where to replace your old, depreciated iPhone battery – December 21, 2017
Should Apple replace aging iPhone batteries for free instead of throttling processor speed? – December 21, 2017
Apple confirms iPhones with older batteries will take hits in performance – December 20, 201
iPhone performance and battery age – December 18, 2017
Apple met with Chinese regulators to discuss iPhone 6s unexpected shutdowns – February 10, 2017
Rumor: Apple may extend iPhone 6s battery replacement program to iPhone 6 – January 17, 2017
A message from Apple about iPhone and unexpected shutdowns – December 2, 2016
Apple offers free battery replacement for ‘very small number’ of iPhone 6s units with unexpected shutdown issue – November 21, 2016
Good ol’ Bog n Pea: bloodsuckers both, and I hope the case gets slung out of the park.
This power management update has been available for iPhone 7 only since December 4th with the release of iOS 11.2 on that date. It was NOT installed on any iPhone 7 models prior to that date unless these two bozos were part of the public beta program. How can they be financially damaged in less than three weeks?
Poor, Apple. Apple could have avoided all this negative press and a class action law suit. But, no, that would be too responsible.
And your car manufacturer never sought your permission to have a limp home mode rather than shutdown in case of engine malfunction.
Sonofavich lawyers!!!
Car companies also didn’t decide to make tires only replaceable by the manufacturer.
FAKE NEWS, Kenzo. Many third party outfits put new batteries in iPhones.
And it is not all that big a deal to replace the battery yourself, either. I have replaced batteries in 2 iPhones over the years. The last one recently.
How will Apple get its reputation back?
Remember when phones had replaceable batteries? Make the phones 1mm thicker and make the battery easily replaceable. Problem solved.
Remember when phones had rotary dialers?
Case closed.
Remember when Apple was managed by responsible adults?
Remember when we here at MDN didn’t have to be repeatedly subjected to your pompous bullshit?
Well, you can go now. Peace.
More like 4mm. In getting a replaceable battery you will have a thicker phone, no waterproofing, a heavier phone.
All for the off chance that you will need to replace a battery. The price of a replacement battery will likely be in the same range.
The other alternative is to have portable battery chargers with you. Great for traveling which is typically when battery drain is the highest.
Except for the lawsuits because the phones are no longer water-resistant.
Why lawsuits over a minor slowdown but no lawsuits over unexpected shutdowns?
Not familiar with the water-resistance, but then, why not if there’s merit?
I TOLD ALL OF YOU SO!!!!
@KingMel – Sadly this has seemed to pass.
@Grectal Fistitude – Eat shit.
What Apple did is like having car manufactures have their components that depend on battery power, reduce their power consumption due to the battery aging, no one would want that, so Apple shouldn’t have done what they did without notifying its users.
Turns out Apple added a battery service notice as of iOS 10.2.1 almost a year ago, and they made various media outlets aware of the change in battery management, there are stories about it, almost a year old now.
When does it kick in, how does it kick in, where did they inform that they would slow the phone down, what right do they have to slow it down without notifying that they indeed are going to do it?
Have you no objectivity whatsoever?
Apparently you don’t know how to use Google or read. How sad.
And all you know how to do is cover for Apple. Google can’t tell me that answer.
I think the newer software burned through batteries so fast Apple decided it’s better to have a PHONE longer than a fast internet (at least that’s what it did to my SE just as I was getting ready to buy a new iPhone anyhow).
Apple should be sued.. This is a valid case. The company should have done the right thing and let people know that this would happen. These iPhones are very expensive products and everyone should know be told up front.
It’s fine that they did it but with the right information people could make informed decisions on what they wanted to buy. At the end of the day, those who wanted the iPhone would have purchased it knowing this.
Apple deliberately hid this and THAT is WRONG. Same on them.
And, btw, I own all Apple except for the iPad which I personally believe is a waste of money.. Don’t put Apple on a pedestal when if this come out as Samsung everyone would be up in arms about it and, I don’t have one Samsung product and never will..
“Apple deliberately hid this and THAT is WRONG. Same on them.”
As I said in another comment, turns out Apple did let people know about the change in battery management, almost a year ago, and Apple also added a battery service notice, also almost a year ago. All of this was introduced in iOS 10.2.1, there were stories in the media about it.
That notice, taken alone, is insufficient bullshit.
Well of course it is insufficient, in your crazed mind, I wouldn’t expect anything else. You rant that Apple tried to hide all of this. I make you aware that this was all reported on almost a year ago. You ignore that you were wrong and continue to rant that Apple didn’t make you aware enough… about a feature that makes your device safer and extends the life of your device. Yeeesssss, Apple is so terrrrrible 🙂
You keep trying to paint me as irrational. You wouldn’t know a fact from a fairy tale.
Finally,
Your exchange with applecynic reminded me of the funniest TV interview I have seen all year:
The new US Ambassador to the Netherlands presented his credentials earlier this month (the position, like many other diplomatic positions, had been vacant since January). A few days ago, he gave his first interview to a local reporter. The Ambassador was born in the Netherlands, so the interview was conducted in Dutch; there was no problem of anything being lost in translation.
Interviewer: Why have you claimed that our country is overwhelmed by Muslim immigrants, that there are “no go” zones in our cities, that there is widespread rioting, and that some of our politicians are literally being burned up?
Ambassador: That is fake news! I never said any of that. The damned liberal press in the US is slandering me. Fake news! All of it!
Interviewer: [Plays videos of Ambassador saying every one of those things] How can you say that accurate reporting of your own words is fake news?
Ambassador: I never claimed that it was fake news.
If “Finally” is who I think he is, the mental gymnastics are the stuff of stooge legend…
I’m happy Apple is getting sued. They deserve it.
You do not tell your customers that their phone runs at a certain speed and then you slow it down on them without telling them.
That becomes false advertising and thus this lawsuit is warranted because of this mistake. Get it together Apple.
Having the phone operate normally with a worn out battery was not a technically feasible option. The alternative to smoothing power consumption was for the phone to shut down suddenly without warning, particularly in cold weather. They didn’t advertise that that could happen either.
Which would you prefer, that web sites load a little slower or that you don’t have any communications in an emergency?
That I be told they ARE loading slower, and the specific condition that made that happen, not that they might load slower if the power were somehow (how?) subpar.
Very pissed about this. It’s like selling your customers a BMW, and then slowly turning it into a Chevy via “upgrades.” Sleazy. Very sleazy.
My iPhone 6+ has NOTICEABLY slowed down with upgrades — features laggy and apps slow to open. Don’t tell me, after you were caught, that this was done for “my benefit.” That Apple would do this ON PURPOSE without telling users is staggering. It’s almost prima facia proof they are trying to subconciously move users to upgrade. What a huge disappointment Apple.
BTW, BMW did just TWO no charge recall upgrades on my 2008(!) BMW, while letting me use a 2017 loaner car at no charge in the process. Now THAT’S service and caring about your customers with almost 10 year old products. Big difference from Apple. At least when you buy Samsung products, you know from the start that they don’t give a damn about you. Apple sold us on being different. Not so much, eh.
This means that apple is following the same procedure with other products such as apple watch, ipads?!!! Thats not fair at all. I was wondering why my apple watch series 2 became extremely slow recently!! Thats so unfair. So so unfair apple.
Wasn’t Apple swearing up and down not long ago that they weren’t causing phone slowdowns with their upgrades? Wasn’t MDN arguing not long ago that perceived slow-downs of previous phone models were simply a result of more features, not Apple’s deliberate actions? How now MDN?
How can we ever trust Apple again when they assure us that some issue is not their fault? “A good name is more valuable that silver or gold,” eh, Apple? Try reading the good book before you sell us a load of lies again.
Apple replaced my IPhone after I brought it to the store to have the Battery replaced. They told me the new phone has new batteries and they are not refurbished. I wonder why they could not just replace the batteries
Because most customers want—and need—their phone today. They are not willing to do without for a week while the battery is being being replaced. Replacing the phone with a new one on the spot while sending the old one back for refurbishment is better for both the company and the customer.
I don’t remember who mentioned it on a different thread, but your tire analogy does fall apart pretty quick. They analogy would be accurate if and only if car manufactures limited the cars speed due to worn tires to prevent injury/accidents. They do not.