Apple's Next iOS Update Will Let You Know If Your iPhone Is Being Slowed Down
If you've been keeping up with the latest Apple news, then you know that the tech giant was under fire at the end of last year after they finally confirmed your longtime suspicion that they were purposely slowing down older-version iPhones. Even if the practice helps to prevent your phone from randomly shutting down, it's never fun to feel duped by the company which you paid a pretty penny to in order to buy your beloved iPhone. Thankfully, Apple's iOS update will show if your iPhone is getting slower — and you can adjust performance speed issues if it's not up to par.
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, spoke in an interview with ABC News on a variety of topics on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Of course, the battery issue was discussed, according to CNBC. While discussing the controversy that swirled about in December 2017, Cook mentioned that there will be more transparency when it comes to iPhone users better understanding the health of their battery. While Apple will continue taking the necessary steps to help prevent older-version iPhones from randomly shutting down, the company will also give more control to the users in a developer update being released in February.
According to Cook, the iOS update will give the user more "visibility of the health of their battery" than they've ever had before. The unprecedented update will alert iPhone users as to whether or not their iPhone performance is being reduced in order to prolong the life of the battery (yay for transparency!). The user will then have the option to turn off that specific feature. Do you feel more powerful yet?
Cook also elaborated on the need for this kind of transparency when he told ABC News that it is important to understand as much as possible about your iPhone battery's health since "all batteries age over time." Once again, considering the fact that you fork over a good amount of your hard-earned cash for a single iPhone, it's nice to know that Apple is working on giving you more control over some of the most important aspects of your device.
This forthcoming iOS update isn't the only step that Apple is taking to make sure that you're satisfied with your current iPhone (no matter what the model). Back in December, Apple also announced that they were making a huge price cut for out-of-warranty iPhone batteries. Instead of coughing up $79 for an iPhone battery replacement, Apple began offering them for $29 in the beginning of January. The price cut is important because sometimes phone performance issues can be due to an older battery that is no longer able to reach its peak performance. Replacing your iPhone battery can improve speed and battery life, so you can essentially have the trappings of a "new" iPhone for the low, low price of a $29 battery.
While I'm on the subject of the iPhone battery, there is one more feature to point out, and it's actually super helpful because you can access it right now. Fair warning, though, because it will make you take a long, hard look at your iPhone habits. Yep, I'm talking about the ability to see exactly which apps are using most of your battery life by knowing how much time you spend on each of them.
To rip off the bandage and take a look at your scrolling habits, go to "Settings" in your iPhone, and then you choose "Battery." Depending on how "real" you want to get with yourself, you can decide to look at your activity from the "Last 24 Hours" or the "Last 7 Days" ("7 Days" hasn't sounded this scary since The Ring). Next, you tap on the clock icon and reveal your life in iPhone battery stats. The last step in preserving your battery life is up to you and your battery life preferences. Personally, I had to delete Instagram for a week to forget about the obscene number of hours my iPhone "claimed" I spent on it. (OK, it was accurate. Depressing AF, but accurate, nonetheless.)
Thankfully, this new iOS update sounds like it will be more technical in nature with various stats about your iPhone's battery and insights into its health. So, as you wait to learn more about your trusty iPhone battery, you can keep your current battery happy by trying to be more economical with your iPhone usage. Trust me: If I can do it, you can do it.
