14 DAY TRIAL // Apple’s unexpected acknowledgment of intentional slowing down happening on older phones with degraded battery triggered a public backlash and class action lawsuits against the company in several countries across the globe.
And while Cupertino is under heavy fire, Android phone makers see this as the perfect occasion to capitalize on the criticism, with the top companies building devices powered by Google’s mobile operating system confirming they’re not turning to such practices on older phones.
Samsung, LG, HTC, and Motorola have all denied intentional slowdowns on their older models, saying in statements provided to the media that reducing CPU speed is not an option on devices with aging batteries.
HTC said in a brief comment on this case that “this is not something we do,” while Motorola explained that “we do not throttle CPU performance based on older batteries.”
When asked it it slows downs its older devices to prevent unexpected shutdowns, LG said that “never have, never will! We care what our customers think.” Samsung offered a more detailed statement on the matter:
“Product quality has been and will always be Samsung Mobile's top priority. We ensure extended battery life of Samsung mobile devices through multi-layer safety measures, which include software algorithms that govern the battery charging current and charging duration. We do not reduce CPU performance through software updates over the lifecycles of the phone.”
Apple is “sorry”
Apple apologized for slowing down older iPhone models in a statement today, promising further warnings and information in future iOS updates, while also announcing a discount for battery replacements from $79 to $29.
But this doesn’t make all Apple’s problems go away. The company has been asked by Korean authorities to explain the slowdown thoroughly, while France is considering its options as part of a lawsuit that could in the end bring a hefty fine to the US-based firm.
At this point, there are nearly 10 class-action lawsuits against Apple following the battery fiasco, with one such complaint requiring damages worth $999 billion.