Apple admitted recently that it deliberately throttles iPhone performance after a year or so to offset the natural degradation process of lithium-ion batteries. A reddit user first discovered this odd behavior. Upon replacing the battery of their sluggish iPhone, it worked like new.
Naturally, people were disappointed and incensed. They found the idea of purchasing a premium smartphone that degrades in performance a year or so later to be preposterous. A battery replacement is of course the best solution, but Apple's own service is costly, and going to third-party repair services voids the warranty.
Apple Offers Discounted Battery Replacements
So Apple did the best thing it could do. It offered free battery replacements for slow iPhones. Just kidding. It didn't make it free, but it did lower battery replacement services to just $29 a pop, down from the usual $79.
However, it'll only last through the end of the year. So those who find that their iPhone 6 or up is performing really slowly should go to the nearest Apple Store right now and take advantage of the discount. Here's how:
Simply visit Apple's support page to get started. There, users will be able to schedule an appointment with a Genius Bar employee at the nearest Apple Store or get in touch with an authorized Apple repair service provider.
If for some reason there's neither an Apple Store nor an authorized repair service nearby, users can mail in their iPhone instead, but prepare a backup phone because it might take Apple a week to complete the battery replacement. For other concerns, users can schedule a call with Apple customer service, or just call (800) MY-APPLE.
Apple's Battery And Performance Fiasco
There are already more than a dozen lawsuits against Apple over this performance throttling issue. One of them even seeks the Cupertino brand to pay nearly $1 trillion in damages. The situation has gotten really ugly for both Apple and consumers with affected iPhone units.
Aside from the discounted battery replacement service, Apple has promised to deliver an iOS update sometime this year that'll include "new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone's battery" for them to determine whether the battery's condition is affecting performance. Even then, the only way to disable throttling will be to have the battery replaced.
Make sure to take advantage of this discounted program while it's still in effect. After a year, battery replacements from Apple will cost $79 again.
