Apple accused of slowing down iPhone 12, iPhone 11, and other models with iOS updates

Published On: July 19, 2021

Highlights

Spanish consumer protection agency OCI has accused Apple of throttling several iPhone models’ performance with software updates.
Some of the affected models include the iPhone 12, iPhone 11, iPhone XS and iPhone 8.
The software updates in question happen to be iOS 14.5, iOS 14.5.1, and iOS 14.6.

Once again, Apple has run afoul of yet another regulatory agency. This time around Spain’s Consumer Protection Organization OCU (via 9to5Mac) has accused Apple of throttling the iPhone 12, iPhone 11, iPhone XS, and iPhone 8’s performance with iOS 14.5, iOS 14.5.1, and iOS 14.6 updates. It seems that the devices in question suffered from degraded battery life and performance after installing the updates. The OCU wants Apple to address the issue and compensate affected customers accordingly. However, it is unclear as to what is the scope of the problem and how many users are affected. We should know more once Apple issues an official statement about the matter.

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Also read: 2.5-year-old iPhone XR beats the new iPhone 12 after iOS 14.5.1 update

Some time ago, we reported about the iPhone XR gaining a massive performance boost after receiving the iOS 14.5.1 update. It managed to perform on par with the iPhone 12 and blew the iPhone 11 out of the water in some synthetic benchmarks. There was no reason to suspect anything at that time, given that both the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 performed well within spec. If anything it was good news for iPhone XR users as their devices received a new lease of life.

Interestingly enough, the OCU cites ‘media reports’ as its source for the said slowdown. However, there seems to be very little information about it in the global press. Perhaps things are different with Spanish media. In all likelihood, only a handful of iPhones in Spain may have been affected by the updates. Nonetheless, it is a matter worthy of investigation considering the flagship iPhone 12 series has allegedly suffered a performance slowdown. More details about the case should emerge once the suit goes to court, which seems inevitable at this point.

Apple in 2017 acknowledged that it slows down iPhones in order to improve battery life in a controversy that was called batterygate. However, despite fines and multiple complaints and the company itself issuing an apology, the practice has continued, though the brand now claims to let users know when updates slow down their phones.