What is Apple doing?
Over the past month or so, you would have seen the news about a forced degradation in the performance of many iPhone batteries.
This is the result of Apple admitting that it was deliberately slowing down the processor via updates in iOS. According to Apple, this was necessary to prevent ageing iPhone batteries from failing whilst at the same time to help maintain a smooth performance.
“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 and plan to add support for other products in the future.”
Battery degradation is one issue that is faced by all mobile technology manufacturers, but many experts are arguing that Apple should have been more transparent with their customers.
Since the release of this news, Apple has announced that it will be replacing batteries for iPhone 6 and later for $39. This is down from $118 and only available through to December 2018. You can either hand your device directly to an Apple store or alternatively, you can simply mail your devices to an Apple store.
How do I check if I have been affected?
If you are wanting to pay less for the battery replacement, you will need to be using an iPhone 6 or above.
For those with the iPhone 6, 6s or SE, this was introduced in iOS version 10.2.1. It has also affected iPhone 7 from version 11.2.
If you have any of these models and any of these versions, it is possible that you may have been affected.
If you are unsure, you can read more about this on the Apple website
How can I maximise the battery life?
Here are a few quick tips that can help extend the life of the battery.
- Delete those old apps that you no longer use. It may be draining your battery in the background and you may not have even noticed.
- Dim the screen or activate Auto-Brightness.
- To Dim: Open the Control Centre by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. Drag the Brightness slider to your choosing.
- To activate Auto-Brightness: Go to Settings > Display & Brightness. Turn on the Auto-Brightness.
- Use a secured Wi-Fi connection. It uses less battery than using your mobile data network. Switch over when possible.
- Turn off Location Services: Settings > Privacy > Location Services. Here you can see apps listed with its permission setting. Turn off the indicators.
- For more on how you can maximise the performance of your iPhone, read Apple’s page to maximise performance.
Have an older iPhone?
Then why not read a previous article of ours: 4 ways to speed up your iPhone.
