Apple admit to 'Slowing Down iPhones'
Discussion
There is only one way this problem has arisen.
Apple put too small mah batteries in their phones for the phones to perform as designed. Larger mah batteries doesn't just mean more capacity/duration. It also means a battery can handle higher peak current drain without the battery voltage sagging too much.
Users of these specific iPhones started getting immediate power downs when using their phones, even with 40% or so of battery life remaining (battery life percentage is calculated primarily on battery voltage).
The phones would seem to have capacity, but then when a big demand is made, the battery sags, the phone software sees the very low voltage and shuts down.
This is a very well recognised behaviour of lipo batteries in all gadgets Inc. Rc cars, planes, drones etc. They lose some oomph as time goes on, particularly, and this is important, if they are overworked.
Apple should have put larger batteries in these phones to meet the demands of the hardware. But that would have made them bulky and ugly wouldn't it? (ironically iPhone users seem to frequently carry a power brick I the same hand as their phones...)
The problem was larger than they expected, so, they set the ios to reduce performance when battery voltage is below a threshold. Their problem goes away and you have a slow phone.
Apple put too small mah batteries in their phones for the phones to perform as designed. Larger mah batteries doesn't just mean more capacity/duration. It also means a battery can handle higher peak current drain without the battery voltage sagging too much.
Users of these specific iPhones started getting immediate power downs when using their phones, even with 40% or so of battery life remaining (battery life percentage is calculated primarily on battery voltage).
The phones would seem to have capacity, but then when a big demand is made, the battery sags, the phone software sees the very low voltage and shuts down.
This is a very well recognised behaviour of lipo batteries in all gadgets Inc. Rc cars, planes, drones etc. They lose some oomph as time goes on, particularly, and this is important, if they are overworked.
Apple should have put larger batteries in these phones to meet the demands of the hardware. But that would have made them bulky and ugly wouldn't it? (ironically iPhone users seem to frequently carry a power brick I the same hand as their phones...)
The problem was larger than they expected, so, they set the ios to reduce performance when battery voltage is below a threshold. Their problem goes away and you have a slow phone.
Henners said:
RogerDodger said:
(ironically iPhone users seem to frequently carry a power brick I the same hand as their phones...)
Ever been to SE Asia? Everyone has a powerbank! Cobnapint said:
Just back from Iceland, loads of Japanese tourists with iPhones on selfie sticks and a lead going into their bags. Mind you, they were videoing everything that moved and everything that didn't.
I posted something about battery capacity earlier.iPhones are actually pretty efficient in some user cases. But once using the screen for example, it's hard to ignore their very limited battery capacity.
That said, being to Asia recently, everybody carries batteries. And my 6P doesn't last the afternoon when I'm filming everything either.
Perhaps makers (not just Apple) were remarkably short sighted to stop having removable batteries...
Being rather more cynical I believe it was a deliberate move and undoubtedly more sales have resulted as phones are replaced rather than batteries. Yes you can send your phone away and pay £70 or so to have it professionally replaced... It's not really the same as popping the back and putting in a new battery though is it.
Oh well, you get a stupidity thin phone that's uncomfortable to hold, so be thankful.
Being rather more cynical I believe it was a deliberate move and undoubtedly more sales have resulted as phones are replaced rather than batteries. Yes you can send your phone away and pay £70 or so to have it professionally replaced... It's not really the same as popping the back and putting in a new battery though is it.
Oh well, you get a stupidity thin phone that's uncomfortable to hold, so be thankful.
techguyone said:
Perhaps makers (not just Apple) were remarkably short sighted to stop having removable batteries...
Being rather more cynical I believe it was a deliberate move and undoubtedly more sales have resulted as phones are replaced rather than batteries. Yes you can send your phone away and pay £70 or so to have it professionally replaced... It's not really the same as popping the back and putting in a new battery though is it.
Oh well, you get a stupidity thin phone that's uncomfortable to hold, so be thankful.
Totally agree. The thiness competition started several years ago and helped bring about the situation we are all in today. They are probably only saving about 1.5mm in compartment engineering by making the batteries non replaceable, but it's enough if you are trying to convince the masses that thin is good.Being rather more cynical I believe it was a deliberate move and undoubtedly more sales have resulted as phones are replaced rather than batteries. Yes you can send your phone away and pay £70 or so to have it professionally replaced... It's not really the same as popping the back and putting in a new battery though is it.
Oh well, you get a stupidity thin phone that's uncomfortable to hold, so be thankful.
The Moto G5 bucks that trend though and is still acceptable on the dimension front. So if they can do it, why can't others? The cynic inside me says it's to help sell newer handsets, but I guess big companies like Samsung (although they shot themselves in the foot with the Note 7), Apple, Sony etc, don't want their names tarnishing with people buying third party spare batts and screwing the handset up. Li-ion battery technology is a quite difficult to get right,
Go back to every release of a new iPhone and I can guarantee you'll read the same statement made very early on in the reviews:
"It's so fast compared to my old <iPhone>! Everything happens immediately!"
I had always wondered - and indeed questioned it on the relatively recent 8/X threads - if it was because the device was relatively, genuinely quicker or if it was just because it had a new battery. When people first got their hands on the 6, everything was quick and immediate, same thing for the 6S, same for the 7, same for the 8 and X. Nobody seemed to question why the aging devices stopped being quick and immediate.
It's a boiling frog, relieved by the purchase of a new device.
"It's so fast compared to my old <iPhone>! Everything happens immediately!"
I had always wondered - and indeed questioned it on the relatively recent 8/X threads - if it was because the device was relatively, genuinely quicker or if it was just because it had a new battery. When people first got their hands on the 6, everything was quick and immediate, same thing for the 6S, same for the 7, same for the 8 and X. Nobody seemed to question why the aging devices stopped being quick and immediate.
It's a boiling frog, relieved by the purchase of a new device.
Henners said:
Ever been to SE Asia? Everyone has a powerbank!
I'm sitting in Krabi airport mate :-)( typing on a lenovo P2 phone which lasts for a genuine three days of heavy use, and no bigger than most iPhone when in its case).
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 28th December 10:22
ambuletz said:
I wouldn't mind sending a phone off to get the battery replaced, its something you'd do maybe once every 3-4 years, by then you'll probably want a new phone anyway. I'm fine with batteries being sealed, especially if it means the phone is going to have better dust/waterproofing.
It doesn't.Moto had phones back in 2010 that were IP68 rated same as todays, with a removable battery.
It's a scam pure and simple.
Non removable batteries has to be a result of space and design optimisation.
Any money currently made on replacement batteries for iPhone is surely mostly made by aftermarket companies. If they sold their own replaceable ones they'd make a fortune with early replacers, or buyers of spares.
Any money currently made on replacement batteries for iPhone is surely mostly made by aftermarket companies. If they sold their own replaceable ones they'd make a fortune with early replacers, or buyers of spares.
RogerDodger said:
Non removable batteries has to be a result of space and design optimisation.
I don't believe that for one second.Sure it's a factor, but now soldering shut big computers, soldering RAM and the like.
Step by step these devices (Apple is at the front, but far from the only one) are just becoming throwaway goods. Something not perfect? Throw it away and buy the new one.
ambuletz said:
I wouldn't mind sending a phone off to get the battery replaced, its something you'd do maybe once every 3-4 years, by then you'll probably want a new phone anyway. I'm fine with batteries being sealed, especially if it means the phone is going to have better dust/waterproofing.
I think you need to re-read the OP. You need to replace your battery after 2 years, or there's a chance your phone is running at half the speed.Edited by ZesPak on Thursday 28th December 13:39
techguyone said:
One thing I am glad about (seeing as android makers seem to blindly follow apple in making really stupid decisions - like headphone jack) is that with all the negativity surrounding Apple on batterygate that everyone else will nope the hell out and won't follow suit.
That's a win.
I don't know if that's Apple marketing at work but Android phones are usually well ahead of decisions taken or technology implemented by Apple, there have been Android phones without 3.5mm headphone jacks for at least 4-5 years.That's a win.
PHuzzy said:
techguyone said:
One thing I am glad about (seeing as android makers seem to blindly follow apple in making really stupid decisions - like headphone jack) is that with all the negativity surrounding Apple on batterygate that everyone else will nope the hell out and won't follow suit.
That's a win.
I don't know if that's Apple marketing at work but Android phones are usually well ahead of decisions taken or technology implemented by Apple, there have been Android phones without 3.5mm headphone jacks for at least 4-5 years.That's a win.
His point was that a lot of Android phone producers follow Apple if they make a decision like that.
And the reasoning is sound, they sell A LOT of units. It shows that people obviously don't care about removable battery, expandable storage, headphone jack, ... so why bother putting them in your phone?
As for the negativity, I disagree. I don't think this will put many people off iPhones, most people I know who own an iPhone have never owned anything else and I doubt they will start now. You know the new one has a full front screen, QHD, AMOLED and supports WIRELESS CHARGING right?
ZesPak said:
As for the negativity, I disagree. I don't think this will put many people off iPhones, most people I know who own an iPhone have never owned anything else and I doubt they will start now. You know the new one has a full front screen, QHD, AMOLED and supports WIRELESS CHARGING right?
Absolutely. It might put a few people off but hardly a dent. It's not dissimilar to the people who lambasted VAG for the emissions scandal but people still buy their products in their droves.ZesPak said:
PHuzzy said:
techguyone said:
One thing I am glad about (seeing as android makers seem to blindly follow apple in making really stupid decisions - like headphone jack) is that with all the negativity surrounding Apple on batterygate that everyone else will nope the hell out and won't follow suit.
That's a win.
I don't know if that's Apple marketing at work but Android phones are usually well ahead of decisions taken or technology implemented by Apple, there have been Android phones without 3.5mm headphone jacks for at least 4-5 years.That's a win.
His point was that a lot of Android phone producers follow Apple if they make a decision like that.
And the reasoning is sound, they sell A LOT of units. It shows that people obviously don't care about removable battery, expandable storage, headphone jack, ... so why bother putting them in your phone?
As for the negativity, I disagree. I don't think this will put many people off iPhones, most people I know who own an iPhone have never owned anything else and I doubt they will start now. You know the new one has a full front screen, QHD, AMOLED and supports WIRELESS CHARGING right?
The way they market things may lead people to believe that but given a large number of manufacturers brought phones out before, at the same time and slightly after Apple did without a jack would prove that wrong, the design/prototype/test stage of a phone isn't exactly short so it wouldn't be a knee jerk reaction to Apple bringing it out, it'd have been in the pipeline long before that.
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