Apple Admits Intentionally Slowing Down Old iPhones

mixed race girl with iPhone

If you suspect that Apple is intentionally throttling or slowing down your iPhone to force you to upgrade, you're not just being paranoid. Apple has confirmed rumors that the old iPhones are designed to slow down as the battery ages.

Forbes first noticed back in 2016 that their old iPhones were slowing down. They did a little investigating and learned that there is "something buried in iOS code called 'Powerd' that will increasingly slow down your device as your battery degrades."

Once that code was removed, their old iPhones ran at normal speed again.

Forbes reached out to Apple who admitted that old iPhones are designed to slow down -- to preserve aging batteries so phones don't shut down.

At least that's the story they are sticking with.

“Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices,” Apple said in a statement to Forbes.

“Lithium-ion batteries .. have a low battery charge as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components."

While Apple's explanation seems logical, many iPhone users suspect the company is forcing them to upgrade to more expensive phones.

Stock photo by JGI/Jamie Grill/Getty Images

  • Kanyade

    of course they slow 'em down 'coz they want you to buy new new new!

    i'on believe that about the battery. they don't care about consumers' batteries "that" much.

    also, this ios upgrade i did on my iphone 7 a couple of months ago, did something to my phone--battery seems to lose power faster than it did before the upgrade.

    https://m.popkey.co/996e5e/g6yQY.gif
    can't stand it. one of these days i'm going back to flip phones. no upgrades just good ol' cellular connection and using a phone for what it was meant initially.

    i'm cranky today. #rantover

  • McKay

    I can't see myself paying no more than $200 for a phone.

  • Alicia.Ashe

    I miss my android and I’m going back to it.

  • You Could Never

    Oh well team Android.

  • Noirluv45

    I'm so glad we switch from Apple to Android. I will never go back.

  • my view

    i have no problem with my iphone *kanye shrugs*

  • sunni_daze

    Thats with all phones. It seem like after 2yrs the phone starts to act up.

  • Tammie Reed

    Yeah they aint slick, happens EVERY single time I need to upgrade or renew my contract smh...Sorry asses!

  • PhillyFacts

    I agree with everything but the flip lol... I did that same upgrade, & my battery die faster, and is taking longer to charge now. SMH

  • ?Royalty?

    I hate Apple.??

  • ?Royalty?

    I used to love paying 50$ to get the old refurbished version of whatever came out last year.

    I can't see paying all this money for these phones. ?????

    Siderant: Why is nobody willing to turn on my 1986 BlackBerry? ?

  • darealwifey

    I've already decided that I'm switching to Android at the end of my contract.

  • MookieFly

    Smart move. It forces all of their user base to stay updated and ensures their latest products dominate the field instead of creating a staggering market of outdated hardware. I still wouldn't touch their products but I see you boo

  • Noirluv45

    I miss my old flip phone.

  • helpme2understand

    So do I. I miss my razor gold.

  • imright

    yall just figuring this out ?!?! ?? i knew that 3,4 phones ago ....????

  • ZRoJoTheLezBeyond

    Which is one of the many reasons I would never purchase an Apple product my damn self.

  • ZRoJoTheLezBeyond

    All day erryday!

  • Ghost

    I just started having trouble with my 6PLUS when the 8 and 10 came out. I had no intention of upgrading but now my phone will not keep a charge! it will go from 100% to 25% in 10 minutes! This never happened before...been with Apple for a long time..have a lot of their products...but now this.....smh

  • OP2

    To consumers, what matters most is that their old (hardware) iphone has the ability to accept new updates to install to keep up with current phones. The discovery or problem for battering slowing down was found embedded in the software.

    Consumers can wise up and have the code remove & just go online to buy a $25-30 new battery kit for their old phones or send their phone back to the company for them to put in a new battery for $80. -that is way cheaper than buying a new iphone.

    That said, no need to switch to buying an Android which seems to have similar gimmicks to force people to buy new phones. ijs

  • ZRoJoTheLezBeyond

    I miss my old Motorola Razr, too.

  • OP2

    To each their own, but we were fed up with the lagging GPS/data on Samsung Galaxy (Android). We've always passed the needed exit, by the time Android gave a command. That was frustrating. To trick it, we would slow down before each exit to give it time to catch up and speak in a timely manner. -switched to Siri via Apple and haven't looked back. ijs

  • OP2

    Yep. Installing upgrades on aging phones can often come with a code to deliberately cause problems. In this way, they can frustrate the consumers and make them want to buy a new phone. Doesn't matter the company or platform (Apple/Mac vs Androids). -the goal is to make money. Can't make $$$ if the consumers are not constantly buying a product. lol

  • jeniefrumdabloc™

    Well of course they are

  • Readytochokemothernatureout

    Lol my 4 just stopped turning on period.

  • 4FlavorsOfMe CreoleMami

    Me and my I-Phone have always had a love and hate relationship... I cant seem to get rid of it though it has control over me that's the only phone I ever get

  • darealwifey

    Does it on iPhone, too -- ALL-THE-TIME.

  • Mama Dee’s Wig Maker

    No one should be surprised by this?

  • Marlika

    Duh they been doing this to all their products. I think my next phone will be a Samsung. I’m over apple and their b.s

  • Kanyade

    also, i miss my blackberry. heck, i'd rather have my blackberry.

  • Mystique

    And water is wet. You know what else they do? Force updates on your phone. Those updates also mess up your phones as well.

  • Just this one time

    I think all companies do this or something similar. None of this is new. I these companies were to make quality products then we would not need to spend money as often.

  • KB

    After working for Apple in their tech support department..this is most definitely accurate. After what I experienced I am not a fan and refuse to purchase their products.

  • morenYAHdelsur

    My chit is slow right now! Took too much effort even typing this ?

  • TheThrowbackBeauty

    YESSSSS! Planned obsolescence!

  • Tink Tink

    The same exact thing happened to me until one day it wouldn't cut back on. Two weeks ago I upgraded to the X :(

  • A D N

    Apple isn't the only one with this technique to "make a user upgrade".

  • A D N

    I didn't update my phone for years. Worked perfectly. My friend was using my phone, mistakenly pressed update when prompted, and one month I noticed a change. Eventually within a few months, I had to purchase a new phone.

  • SweetTEE

    I worked in CS and the ish made me side eye the hell out of them so I know you're telling the truth

  • http://www.missjhaneuniverse.com Monday

    LIIIIEEESSSS!! And I don't even own an Iphone

  • KB

    With every release we knew because we were prepped (talking points)& trained for the possible problems. They consistently rolled out upgrades knowing the software & hardware were flawed. That's what pisses me off the most because they wanted to stay committed to the rollout schedule but behind the scenes IT & development were still working on finishing the product ?.

  • We Can Do This

    Samsung for sure uses this technique.

  • We Can Do This

    Since Jobs passed this new guy is shady.

  • RealATLPeach36

    Damn that was funny ?

  • Dahl

    I was told that both times I upgraded. Was that a secret...?

  • stevetheque

    Apple is brilliant! They manage to get people to buy the same phone year after year by putting a different number in the name.

  • Queen B

    No lie that iphone 8 camera takes pictures like a high resolution camera....ull b looking like ur straight from a photoshoot lol

  • Gone Too Far

    I thought most people already knew this....

  • Shaylove1975

    Apple will never go broke. They may be messing with people minds too

  • queentomyking

    bottom line... if you have a smart phone they do this! Technology has us by the balls because they know we aren't going to do anything about it. We want the latest and greatest device no matter the cost.

  • Blunted25

    Same thing with me and my 6. Had to walk around with thing attached to a damn portable charger 24/7 just to keep it from dying every 10 minutes. I ended up replacing it with a $100 SE just to spite them. I'll upgrade to the 10 when the 15 comes out.

  • sunni_daze

    I think your right about those updates, phone goes to hell after.

  • KlankyKlank

    A wonderful message for @SandraRose from @tsmadison, starts at 1:42:47.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6167&v=rzxp9417K9s

  • Michael Johnson

    Why is everybody coming against Apple. Androids do this everyday.
    So lay off of Apple. By far IPhone are the best phone on the market.

  • Gone Too Far

    Thought it was just me. My phone is slow as hell and battery life is getting progressively worse. Need to upgrade to the 8 plus asap

  • http://sandrarose.com SandraRose

    There are 3 class actions lawsuits against Apple for tampering with iPhones and tricking customers into upgrading.

  • Gone Too Far

    Not surprised. But seriously though, them slowing down iPhones and making them crappy once new iPhones are introduced is not a surprise to me at all. That’s how they get people to upgrade because they can no longer deal with the inconvenience Eg. Someone like me who still has a 6s that has become so annoying that now I need to get a newer generation product like the 8 Plus

  • IamAllnatural

    Apple never admitted that this rumor was true until now. I think they will wish they remained silent once these lawsuits get filed.

  • IamAllnatural

    The point is that Apple never confirmed it to be a fact until now!

  • Gone Too Far

    It’s not even something they needed to know because it was already obvious how every time a new iPhone gets released, the older generation iPhones start getting slower, have troubled with updates, battery life gets worse. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard they do stuff like that deliberately. It’s an obvious tactic to get people to get the latest stuff and it works cos most people keep upgrading anyway