Apple CEO’s Tim Cook has gone on record to say that the next iOS update will bring some noteworthy changes to the performance of iPhone. Speaking to ABC News, Tim Cook spoke about the feedback they’ve received over the past weeks on the battery issue, and in light of that feedback, Apple will be releasing a new update to give users more choice.
iPhone users will be able to turn off CPU throttling, so that the OS is not automatically adjusting the speed based on the device’s battery health. In addition to the feature, Tim Cook said that Apple will “give users the visibility of the health of the battery”. “It’s very, very transparent”, he added. Users will be notified if the throttling is taking place, and if they do want performance degradation, they can simply turn it off. But Apple says it doesn’t recommend it.
The update will roll out in the developer preview first before finally rolling to the public.
Apple came under fire last year when several users began reporting slower performance on their iPhones. A user noted that his phone returned to full performance and scored much higher in Geekbench after he swapped his old battery with a new one. Then Geekbench creator wrote a detailed blog where he revealed that sometime last year, Apple released an update which introduced CPU throttling for devices whose batteries are not in perfect health. The performance degradation was most noticeable with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S, which are now more than three and two years old, respectively.
The intent, Apple said, was to improve user experience. Apple released a public apology after the debacle and explained the feature was put in place as aging batteries cannot meet peak demands, and hence, can lead to random shutdown in the midst of important tasks. Apple also discounted battery replacement service from $79 down to $29.
