Apple Will Still Slow Your iPhone As It Ages, But Now It's Selling Discounted Batteries

Due to customer outcry about how old batteries slow your phone, Apple will replace your battery for $29.

UPDATE

Apple just announced that in response to customer concerns, it is lowering the cost of replacement batteries to $29 for an out-of-warranty iPhone 6 or later (normally priced $79). A new software update will also allow you to easily see the health of your battery. The discounted replacement batteries are available now, though an Apple spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that "initial supplies of some replacement batteries may be limited."

There is a long-standing allegation that Apple deliberately makes old iPhones slower, so you're forced to upgrade to a newer model.

it seems like as soon as the new iPhone came out my phone suddenly can't keep a full battery

I fell like Apple somehow purposely made the iPhone 4's slower after the 5's came out to force us to upgrade.

Only part of that is true: Older iPhones with aged batteries *are* more sluggish than new phones — but Apple claims it's because they're trying to avoid forced, unexpected shutdowns, not because they want you to upgrade.

Basically, iPhones use lithium-ion batteries, which decay over time.

After 500 charge cycles, the iPhone battery is designed to retain only 80% of its original capacity. So depending on use, you may start to see your iPhone's battery life dwindle after a year or so.

As the battery degrades, it can no longer handle demanding tasks, like processor-intensive games and apps.

So, for iPhone 6, 6S, SE, and 7, Apple recently released a feature that throttles — or slows down — the iPhone's processor when it's running on a decayed battery. This is to prevent your iPhone from malfunctioning and shutting down.

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Apple said:

Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.

In any case, it's frustrating when your iPhone is slow! The best fix? Replacing your battery.

Getting a new battery (which costs $79 out of warranty through Apple or less with a third-party, nonauthorized service provider) will likely improve your iPhone's performance significantly. It's a lot cheaper than getting a brand-new phone!

Look what a battery replacement did for this guy!

So it's true Apple intentionally slow down old iPhones. Proof: My iPhone 6 was bought 3years ago and recently got r… https://t.co/ykARRfr8uo

If you're wondering if your older iPhone is experiencing battery decay, you can use Battery Life or Geekbench 4 ($1) to run battery benchmark tests.

Apple Support can also run a remote test that will check your iPhone’s overall battery health.

The battery page in Settings may also show a notification when it detects your battery could need replacing.

@itsnicolenguyen @mat @tim_cook They do at least display a message about the battery likely needing service.… https://t.co/ZFMpr9a9Lr

Skip to footer