People have been asking this question for years “Does Apple slow down my phone when I update my older phone?” Now we have the answer of Yes. Now without knowing the facts behind this decision you are probably angry at Apple and thinking about buying another phone like a Samsung Galaxy or just a new iPhone. But wait a minute and it will all make sense.

The Investigation

This question was first investigated by Geekbench’s parent company Primate Labs.
The average user is probably wondering what is Geekbench? Well, Geekbench is an app pro user use to check the “score” of a device. It does this by placing it through many tests and once they are completed you will be given your score.
Their findings were recorded in a blog post on Geekbench’s site called “iPhone Performance and Battery Age. The article reports that as battery ages the Geekbench score decreases. Although if you replace the battery the score will go back to normal.

Why Would Apple Do This

Now that everyone is wondering why they would do this, Apple published a letter to customers admitting to the slowing of phone performance titled “A Message to Our Customers about iPhone Batteries and Performance.” In the letter, Apple states that:

“First and foremost, we have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades. Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.” -Apple

So if this is the case then why did they do it? To answer this you have to understand how batteries in your iPhone and other rechargeable batteries work. iPhones use lithium-ion batteries which is common among rechargeable batteries. They work great for powering all of your portable devices. The downside is that over time the power storage capacity degrades because of a complicated chemical reaction that happens inside the battery. The degrading process can be sped up by how often you are on your phone leading to how many times you have to charge it also environmental conditions.
This feature was secretly add in iOS 10.2.1 to address the issue of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s unexpectedly shutting down. Your phone might have unexpected shut down because what you were doing might have needed more power than the battery can give. So in order to protect your phone, it would restart.

So What’s Apple Going To Do About It

Apple can’t change the fact that lithium-ion batteries lose their power capacity over time. The only thing that you can do to bring up the performance of your phone to purchase a new battery which Apple has generously decreased the price of a new battery from US$79 to US$29 (that’s a US$50 discount). In addition to the lowered price in early 2018, they will release an iOS update that will give users the power to view their battery’s status to see whether it needs to be replaced or not. Although in the meantime if you believe that your iPhone has had a dip in performance due to the battery you can contact them and have your battery remotely checked or you can schedule an appointment.

So in conclusion, I hope this has provided a better understanding of why Apple has made this decision to slow your phone. It’s not an attempt to make more money but instead a way to provide a better user experience under the circumstances.