How Mobile Companies Cheat You Without You Noticing

Smartphones don’t inherently degrade over time; rather, companies sometimes release software updates that can slow down older devices. This practice has been a subject of controversy and legal scrutiny.

Evidence of Intentional Slowdowns

• Apple’s “Batterygate” Incident: In 2017, Apple admitted to intentionally slowing down older iPhones to prevent unexpected shutdowns caused by aging batteries. This led to class-action lawsuits and regulatory fines in several countries, including a €25 million fine in France Wikipedia.
• Samsung’s Legal Issues: Samsung faced a €5 million fine in Italy for similar practices, where software updates were found to significantly reduce the performance of older devices, potentially encouraging consumers to purchase newer models The Guardian.
• OnePlus Performance Throttling: An investigation revealed that OnePlus throttled the performance of popular apps on its OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro models without informing users, leading to criticism and removal from benchmarking platforms like Geekbench Wikipedia.

Reasons Behind the Slowdowns

Companies often justify these slowdowns by citing the need to manage ageing batteries and prevent unexpected shutdowns. For instance, Apple stated that slowing down devices with degraded batteries was intended to prevent sudden shutdowns due to power demands exceeding battery capacity TIME.

Conclusion

While smartphones don’t naturally become obsolete, software updates can intentionally or unintentionally degrade their performance. This practice has led to legal actions and ongoing debates about transparency and consumer rights.

Author: Master Vikrant RohinMaster Vikrant Rohin is an international author, and more than four countries’ schools are using his books in the core curriculum of education. He is the author of twenty different subject books. History, Economics, Chemistry, Physics, English, Biology, Geography etc. Most of his students hold high-ranking positions in the public and private sectors. He has cracked the world’s toughest exam, the "Civil Services Examination (UPSC)," eight times. Always a topper in academics, he was also a top-class sportsman, a state boxer, and a basketball player.