Apple on Tuesday issued a response to questions from Senator John Thune (R – SD) in reference to the battery throttling issue that has both iPhone users and attention-seeking politician up in arms.
The letter, published in full by Business Insider, indicated Apple is considering offering rebates to customers who had paid full price for battery replacements. It also includes information related to any possible future throttling might affect iPhone 8/8 Plus and iPhone X users.
Senator Thune heads the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The Senator had sent Apple a list of questions in reference to how the company throttled older iPhones, how it rolled the feature out to devices, and more.
Thune had asked whether the Cupertino firm has plans to “release a similar software update feature to throttle back processing performance for newer phone models.” If there are plans, he wanted to know “what notice” the company plans to give customers beforehand.
Q: Does Apple plan to release a similar software update feature to throttle back processing performance for newer phone models? What notice does it plan to provide to customers before doing so?
Apple: All iPhone models have basic performance management to ensure that the battery and overall system operates as designed and internal components are protected. And, in the case of hot temperature, the performance management ensures that the device stays within safety limits. Such basic performance management is required for safety and expected function, and cannot be turned off.
iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X models include hardware updates that allow a more advanced performance management system that more precisely allows iOS to anticipate and avoid an unexpected shutdown.
An upcoming iOS update will supply information to users on how well the battery in their handset is working, and will also offer an option to turn off power management (throttling).
(Via 9to5Mac)
