Apple apologises for slowing down older iPhones

Apple has apologised to costumers for intentionally slowing down the performance of older iPhones models without users’ consent.

In a statement to costumers, The company explained that there has been a “misunderstanding” about the battery use and gave a lengthy explanation of how lithium-ion batteries age.

The company now says it will replace batteries for less and will issue software in 2018 so customers can monitor their phone's battery health.

 “All rechargeable batteries are consumable components that become less effective as they chemically age and their ability to hold a charge diminishes. Time and the number of times a battery has been charged are not the only factors in this chemical aging process.” Apple explains.

Apple had admitted to taking measures in order to slow down the performance of older iPhones earlier this month.

Primate Labs, a company which makes an app to measure the speed of an iPhone’s processor published data that appeared to show slower performance in the Apple iPhone 6s and 7 models as they aged.

Some customers had long suspected the company slowed older iPhones to encourage customers to upgrade.

The problem could be fixed by replacing the battery of the phone, for which Apple charges $79, for those not covered under warranty.

The US tech company now announced a $50 (£37) reduction in the cost of iPhone battery replacements, down from $79 to $29, and an iOS  software update providing updates on iPhone battery health in early 2018.

“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,” the company said.

Apple is now facing at least eight separate class-action lawsuits, after it admitted to intentionally slowing down iPhones, most of which claim Apple misled customers. Plaintiffs in California, Illinois and New York all argue that Apple did not have consent to slow their devices.