Apple recently confirmed that it was purposely slowing down older iPhones due to battery degradation issues, with the maker confirming it had implemented an algorithm to reduce a handset's performance to protect its electronic components and, naturally, overall battery life.
Well, people weren't happy - obviously.
Poor stock battery life in all mobile phones is, arguably, the biggest unaddressed issue facing the industry right now, with all other components getting serious speed and quality improvements but battery life remaining very firmly locked in a day per charge usage pattern. And that is when batteries are new, so when phones only a few years old start to degrade in longevity and, in this case, performance, it is a less than ideal situation.
To its credit though, after hearing feedback, Apple has moved to address people's concerns in an open letter that not only explains its actions and what it plans to do to improve battery-related issues in 2018, but also directly reduce the replacement cost of iPhone 6 and new phones from £79 down to £25. That's a straight reduction of £54 and the new battery replacements will be available imminently from Apple's official website.
We've got to say we're are impressed with the speed in which Apple has addressed this situation.
As such, if you are currently using an iPhone 6 or iPhone 7 and feel like your device has been running slower recently, or not delivering you enough juice to make it through a day comfortably, then now you've got an official and, relatively cheap, fix that doesn't involve buying a new phone. Equally, if you're hanging fire for some cheaper contract deals on iPhone X, then this also could be a handy stop-gap solution.
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Rob has been writing about computing, gaming, mobile, home entertainment technology, toys (specifically Lego and board games), smart home and more for over 15 years. As the editor of PC Gamer, and former Deputy Editor for T3.com, you can find Rob's work in magazines, bookazines and online, as well as on podcasts and videos, too. Outside of his work Rob is passionate about motorbikes, skiing/snowboarding and team sports, with football and cricket his two favourites.
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