After facing criticism for slowing down older iPhones after they receive an iOS update, Apple has announced that it is reducing the prices of replacement batteries worldwide. Apple had claimed that it was slowing down the iPhones due to ageing batteries.
In US, Apple has brought down the prices of replacement batteries from $79 to $29, offering a discount of $50. In India, Apple has reduced the prices of replacement batteries to Rs. 2,000 plus taxes from the earlier price of Rs. 6,000.
Apple had earlier revealed that it was slowing down older iPhones like the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6 and the iPhone 7 after an iOS update to prevent random shutdown due to deteriorating batteries. Apple was throttling the performance of the older iPhones as the older batteries could not supply the peak charge required for efficient performance.
Since Apple revealed that it was throttling the performance, people started filing lawsuits against the smartphone maker alleging that the company was doing so to force users to buy the new iPhone models. The company is facing multiple class action lawsuits.
Apart from the reduced price of replacement batteries, Apple has also promised a software update in 2018 that will give users more information about the health of their device’s battery.
In its letter, Apple mentioned, “We’ve been hearing feedback from our customers about the way we handle performance for iPhones with older batteries and how we have communicated that process. We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize,”.
The company further added, “Early in 2018, we will issue an iOS software update with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone’s battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance,”