Skip to main content

Is Apple really slowing down old iPhones to make you buy a new one?

It’s one of the oldest conspiracy theories in tech: Every time Apple releases a new version of iOS, there are complaints from users that their older model iPhones are slowing down. And they speculate that Apple intentionally slows down older models to incentivize users to upgrade to newer, more expensive models. The concept of planned obsolesce is nothing new, and has been around since long before smartphones. While there is a grain of truth to the theory in general, a new study proves it false in the case of Apple.

TechCrunch reports that Futuremark, the maker of numerous pieces of benchmarking software, has concluded a years-long test involving more than a hundred thousand iPhones, and the data refutes the old rumors that Apple is deliberately slowing things down.

Recommended Videos

Futuremark tests involved the Phone 5s, 6, 6s, and 7 and found that there was no evidence of deliberate slowdowns. In the case of the iPhone 5s, which was released in 2013, GPU and CPU performance remained consistent from iOS 9 to the recently released iOS 11. There were some minor variations, but those all fell within normal ranges.

In the case of the other models, GPU performance remained consistent over time, but there was a slight drop in CPU performance. Futuremark noted that these could have been influenced by iOS updates, but stressed that normal users would be unlikely to notice them in regular use.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

As far as the origins of these rumors, Futuremark offered a few theories. For starters, apps may be one of the biggest contributing factors to actual slowdowns. Older apps might not optimized for the newer version of iOS, resulting in less optimization. On the other hand, apps designed for new devices might not run as well on older smartphones though that is on the app developers rather than Apple.

Futuremark did concede that one area in which iOS updates may be responsible for slowdowns is the addition of new features. New versions of iOS may add new features that take up more processing power, causing older phones to slow down.

Overall, however, Futuremark concluded that rather than slowing down their old devices, Apple was actually doing a good job of supporting them by providing updates which maintain a consistent level of quality across multiple versions of the OS.

Eric Brackett
Former Digital Trends Contributor
This one iPadOS 26 feature has me excited for the iPhone Fold
Semi-open state of a foldable iPhone concept

Samsung is set to launch the seventh generation of its Galaxy Z Fold book-style folding phone this Summer, but its biggest rival is yet to show its folding phone hand. Apple has long been expected to unveil an iPhone Fold, and the latest rumors suggest that it will launch next year.

I’ve used almost every folding phone released globally, with some exceptions for extremely obscure ones. While I've always been curious what an iPhone Fold would look like, I was fairly certain that Apple shouldn't build it, as I wasn’t sure they could deliver on one necessary feature.

Read more
These three iOS 26 beta features are my favorite so far
The Liquid Design lock screen on the iOS 26 developer beta 1 running on the iPhone 16 Pro

For fans of the Apple ecosystem, it’s been an incredible week. Apple’s annual WWDC 2025 keynote revealed a whole new Liquid Glass design that’s unified across all its platforms. Also unified across all platforms is the numbering scheme, with iOS 26 designed to represent the year of release… plus one. 

The new platform doesn’t deliver one of the key things I asked for — multitasking, which is available on iPadOS 26 — but it does bring several new features that make the iPhone far more usable. 

Read more
Apple’s new iPadOS 26 shows Google what Android tablets need
4 windows open multitasking on the iPad Pro M4 11 running iPadOS 26 developer beta 1

Since the launch of the first iPad, Android tablets have struggled to compete. A lack of optimized apps means that Android tablets still don’t offer as seamless a transition to larger displays, which also impacts the best folding phones, where many apps don’t take advantage of the larger displays.

However, one area where Android tablets have outperformed the iPad is in productivity and multitasking. Samsung’s DeX desktop mode has been key to ensuring that some Android tablets offer a desktop-like experience, albeit one that needs more optimized applications. Last week, OnePlus also joined the party with the innovative Open Canvas system on the OnePlus Pad 3.

Read more