Apple replies to claims it 'throttles' older iPhones to boost new sales

Vendor giant insists it is trying to 'prolong the life of its devices'

Apple has released a statement after speculative claims it "throttles" the performance of older iPhones so it can boost new iPhone sales.

The internet became awash with accusations that Apple is forcing customers to upgrade its phones by making its old phones run slower.

In particular, one Reddit post gained wide traction, with the user claiming: "Apple slows down phones when their battery gets too low... This also means your phone might be very slow for no discernible reason."

However, Apple released a statement to Tech Crunch denying the claims:

"Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

"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 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future."

Tech Crunch stresses that the problem is with lithium-ion batteries and Apple's power management is an attempt to prolong the life of the device, not to shorten it.

The site also points out that if the claims had any truth, Apple would be courting serious legal and governmental problems in the process.

As for current iPhone sales, Ian Fogg, analyst at IHS Markit, has stated "we expect Apple will enjoy its best ever year for [the] iPhone," anticipating 88.8 million iPhone sales in Q4 alone.