Apple has finally added new indications and options in its iOS operating system on the status and condition of the iPhone battery. In fact, version 11.3 of the operating system has been downloaded for a few hours, which should resolve the controversy of recent months, when Apple was accused of deliberately slowing down iPhones with worn-out batteries without notifying users, who could therefore end up with temporarily less smartphones. fast without knowing why.
The case had rekindled the widespread theories on the so-called “programmed obsolescence”, the practice – widespread above all in the technological field – of determining the duration of a product in order to limit it to a predetermined period and induce consumers to purchase its next version. The affair cost Apple various types of legal initiatives, government investigations by some countries and a free or discounted replacement program for deteriorated iPhone batteries.
The new feature in iOS 11.3 should make everything clearer. From “Settings” you choose the item “Battery” and then “Battery status (beta)”. The screen shows the “maximum capacity” of the battery, ie its capacity in relation to when it was new. The lower the percentage, the fewer hours of use the battery guarantees between charges.
The following item instead indicates how the battery behaves in peak phases, that is, in moments in which the iPhone must consume a lot of energy to perform calculations and processing, for example while playing a video game or using an app that it requires a lot of resources. If “standard peak performance” is indicated, it means that iOS does not intervene to slow down the iPhone in case of low charge, otherwise different words are displayed.
If the condition of the battery deteriorates after many charge / discharge cycles, iOS activates the function to slow down the iPhones in peak moments, with the consequence of having in some cases a response with a minimum of delay when giving commands. In this case, the option in “Battery Status” allows you to deactivate the slowdown, but at the user's own risk. With a worn out battery, disabling the system could make your phone unstable and lead to unexpected shutdowns or restarts.
The system to disable the slowdown is offered on the iPhone SE, 6, 6 Plus, 7 and 7 Plus, while it is absent on the most recent iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X, because these use other hardware solutions that do not require the slowdown through the operating system.
