Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 22-12-2017

Technology company Apple has confirmed it takes some measures to reduce power demands – which can have the effect of slowing the processor on an iPhone when a phone’s battery is having trouble supplying the peak current that the processor demands.

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

In a statement Apple says the problem stems from the fact that all lithium-ion batteries, not just those found in Apple products, degrade and have problems supplying the big bursts as they age and accumulate charging cycles,

It says the problems with peak current draws can also occur when batteries are cold or low on charge.

”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.”

When an iPhone’s processor makes a big current draw from a flagging battery, the battery can deliver the current in spikes that can potentially damage the phone’s electronics. As a result, iPhones would suddenly shut down to protect the pricey processor from being damaged by the power spikes.

Apple says the sudden shutdown problem became widespread among iPhones in late 2016, forcing it to issue a software fix that had the net result of slowing the phone somewhat with an old, cold or low-charged battery. 

The problem can be remedied by replacing the phone’s battery. 

Apple charges $79 (R1000) to replace batteries not covered under the phone’s warranty.

Twitter: @FaizelPatel143