Apple apologizes after outcry over slowed iPhones, will offer cheaper battery replacements

iPhone owners unhappy about Apple’s practice of slowing down old models, a popular theory that the company publicly admitted to earlier this month, may finally get some relief – according to Apple.

The electronics giant announced Thursday that it will lower the price of replacement batteries on the iPhone 6 or later as part of an apology for the performance issues with older phones.

The offer comes on the heels of a growing number of lawsuits filed against Apple in the wake of its admission of deliberately slowing down older iPhones to prevent unexpected shutdowns as batteries age. iPhone owners in Florida, California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey are seeking class-action status in suits with plaintiffs saying they bought new iPhones because of the slow downs.

The company held that it has never purposely shortened the life of any of its products.

While Apple originally thought the issues with the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus and iPhone SE had to do with upgrading the iOS operating system, the company now believes the issue unfolds because of the batteries.

The company’s announcement said, in part, that batteries become less effective as they “chemically age” and their ability to hold a charge diminishes.

“Device use also affects the performance of a battery over its lifespan. For example, leaving or charging a battery in a hot environment can cause a battery to age faster. These are characteristics of battery chemistry, common to lithium-ion batteries across the industry.

“A chemically aged battery also becomes less capable of delivering peak energy loads, especially in a low state of charge, which may result in a device unexpectedly shutting itself down in some situations.”

Starting in January, Apple says it will lower the price of a battery replacement from $79 to $29. The reduced price will remain available throughout 2018, the company said.

Apple also said it will release a new iOS update that will allow users to see more about the health of their phone’s battery.

This story was originally published December 28, 2017 at 6:41 PM with the headline "Apple apologizes after outcry over slowed iPhones, will offer cheaper battery replacements."