iPhone users will now be warned by Apple if an update will impact their battery

With battery complaints plaguing their past, Apple have set out with a new pledge to be more upfront (Photo: Shutterstock)With battery complaints plaguing their past, Apple have set out with a new pledge to be more upfront (Photo: Shutterstock)
With battery complaints plaguing their past, Apple have set out with a new pledge to be more upfront (Photo: Shutterstock)

System updates have been the source of many battery draining issues for owners of Apple products.

But now iPhone users will be warned as to how a system update is set to affect the battery health of their device.

Apple being more upfront?

The pledge comes as a result of the tech giant entering into an agreement with The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The contract dictates that Apple has to be clearer with their customers about device battery health and performance.

Apple will provide information regarding battery health, unexpected shutdowns and even offer guidance on how users can maximise their phone’s battery.

This information will allow customers to help improve the performance of their handsets following a software update. Users will be shown how they can take action through things like changing the settings.

This way users won’t feel they need to spend money on having their phone fixed, or by purchasing a whole new device.

Apple has agreed to do this for current phones and for iPhones being released moving forward.

Held accountable?

By formally committing to this agreement with the CMA, Apple is legally bound to fulfilling their promises.

If they go on to breach this contract, the CMA has the right to take action through the courts.

Why the change?

The CMA opened an investigation against Apple last year after concerns were raised regarding whether some practices by the company breached consumer law.

The UK government website states, “The CMA’s investigation focused on concerns that people were not warned that their phone’s performance could slow down following a software update to manage the power demands on batteries.”

In 2017, Apple was at the heart of controversy after confirming that software had been introduced to slow down older iPhone devices, in a bid to aid the battery life.

The CMA was concerned that Apple customers might have tried repairing their devices, or replacing them, because they were unaware that the effects were from a system update.

Additionally, users could not easily access information regarding information about their devices battery, which can decrease in quality over time.

This article originally appeared in our sister site Edinburgh Evening News