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Photo Credit: Eduardo Munoz, Reuters
Apple apologized for an update that can slow down older iPhones and is offering cheaper battery replacements to make up for it.
Last week, Apple admitted to intentionally slowing down older iPhone models without telling customers. Now the company has apologized and is temporarily cutting $50 off its normal $79 price to put new batteries in the iPhone 6 and later for 2018.
Customers griped about the software update that deliberately slowed down older phones to extend battery life, many deeming it a ploy to get people to purchase newer models.
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According to a Patently Apple report, Apple faces eight class action suits, including one which asks for $999 billion in damages.
The lawsuit was filed by one Violetta Mailyan in California, stating “each member of the Class had to buy a newer iPhone model because the performance of their older iPhone model had slowed down as a result of [the] Defendant’s purposeful conduct.”
Apple released a lengthy statement on its website Thursday, apologizing to customers and explaining the controversial update.Though the feature will stay on phones, but Apple says an upcoming iOS update will " give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone's battery."
Last week, Apple announced the update was part of a power management feature intended to prevent older batteries from shutting down suddenly.
"First and foremost, we have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades," the post said.
The situation came to light after a Reddit post made by a user named TeckFire questioned Apple's battery strategy earlier this month.
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The company cited it as a “misunderstanding,” now promising to issue a new iOS update in early 2018, "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."
