Apple responds to reports of worn battery forcing iPhone CPU slowdown
Apple has confirmed that it temporarily slows down processes on older iPhones with poorly functioning batteries, with the update able to "smooth out the instantaneous peaks" when needed to prevent device shutdown.
On Wednesday, Apple issued an official statement regarding claims that worn batteries slow iPhone performance, most often seen on older and/or heavily-used devices. In its statement, Apple declares that:
Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.
Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We've now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.