Skip to main content

Arizona is leading an investigation into iPhone performance throttling

Apple could be back in hot water when it comes to throttling iPhone performance. According to a report from Reuters, the Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is leading a multi-state investigation into the throttling of iPhone performance, and whether or not the “deliberate slowing of older iPhones violated deceptive trade practice laws.”

According to the report, the probe first started in October 2018, and investigators have asked Apple for data regarding unexpected iPhone shutdowns, and data around Apple’s throttling of devices through power management software.

Recommended Videos

In 2017, it was discovered that Apple was slowing down iPhone performance for devices with older batteries. While some assumed this meant that the company was pushing customers to upgrade to a new device, Apple argued that it had to throttle performance to prevent shutdowns resulting from aging batteries not able to handle power spikes needed by the processor. Not only that, but the company also launched a program to replace iPhone batteries at a discount. While the company admitted that it reduced power demands, it also released a tool in the iPhone Settings app to turn this throttling off, warning that turning it off could result in iPhones unexpectedly turning off.

Earlier in the year, Apple agreed to pay $500 million to settle a class-action lawsuit related to the battery throttling issue. This equated to around $25 per device, and you can check if your iPhone is part of the lawsuit using an online tool. The lawsuit includes iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, and iPhone SE devices that ran iOS 10.2.1 or later before December 21, 2017, or iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus devices that ran iOS 11.2 or later before December 21, 2017. To file a claim, you will have to know your iPhone’s serial number — or you can use the search tool if you don’t have access to that information.

The investigation follows another multi-state investigation led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, which was reported on last week, and could reportedly result in a lawsuit over an unnamed violation of consumer law. If the investigation is into the same issue that the Arizona-lead coalition is probing, it’s possible the two could merge.

Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…
Google Maps gets a screenshot tool that eases travel planning on your iPhone
AI scanning screenshots and adding details to Google Maps.

A few weeks ago, Google announced a bunch of new features targeted at digital travel planning, such as hotel price tracking and deploying AI as a personal guide. Among them was also a neat trick that could extract address details from screenshots and save them to Google Maps. 

That feature has now started to roll out slowly. Users started receiving it this week, it seems, and earlier today, Google also released a blog update instructing users on how to enable it. For now, it is focused on iOS, but the facility will soon land on Android, as well. 

Read more
There may not be an iPhone in 10 years’ time, says top Apple exec
A person holding the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Well, whouda thunk it. A top Apple executive positing the idea that in 10 years from now, the iPhone -- your beloved iPhone (unless you have a beloved Android phone, that is) -- may no longer exist.

Before your head explodes at the mere thought of Apple abandoning the iPhone in 10 years’ time, there’s also a chance that in 2035 there will be an iPhone 27, or whatever’s Apple’s calling it by then.

Read more
iPhone 17 Air: everything you need to know
Alleged concept render of the iPhone 17 Air in black.

The iPhone 17 Air is set to become the first iPhone that's as light as a feather -- or light as air, as its name suggests. Not because it's as tiny as the oldest iPhone models, but rather it's because it's as thin as the MacBook Air that inspired it and thinner than the rest of the iPhone 17 line.

Although the iPhone 17 Air is months away from being officially announced by Apple, let alone the standard iPhone 17, the leaks and rumors swirling around the ultra-slim model have iPhone users excited about the prospect of holding it in their hands and anxious about its fragility because of its thinness. Here's everything you need to know about the iPhone 17 Air.

Read more