We may finally have proof that Apple is slowing down older iPhones

Cell phones are great — until the moment they start acting up. That’s when we realize just how much we rely on them to get us through the day. If you’ve ever wondered whether Apple designed your iPhone to slow down over time, you’re not alone. And it may not be all in your head…

While many have speculated that their phones become sluggish after iOS updates, as The Verge pointed out, we may now have proof: Geekbench, who The Telegraph called “a watchdog that monitors smartphone and computer performance,” reported that Apple has designed phones to slow down when they’re operating on old batteries.

The Geekbench investigation seems to be inspired by a Reddit thread titled “PSA: iPhone slow? Try replacing your battery!” (On the Geekbench blog, you can see the full write-up of their findings.) With Apple’s strategy in mind, many believe that the company aims to gently encourageyou to buy a new device every few years.

In reality, it's not that simple. As Business Insider pointed out earlier this year, "an older iPhone's performance is more likely impacted by new versions of iOS and the ensuing app updates, which are usually released in conjunction with a new iPhone."

So no — it’s probably not part of some wicked plan on Apple’s part. But even if it’s not on purpose, it’s still frustrating. Smartphones aren’t cheap and we want them to last.

Yet, plenty remain skeptical about Apple’s motives.

Apple quietly throttles your iPhone CPU as the battery gets older.

Explains why when a new iPhone comes out it _seems_ like your old phone is getting slower — it actually is, and Apple isn't up-front about it either https://t.co/Y4JEJbHh4p

— Owen Williams ⚡ (@ow) December 19, 2017

so the iPhone X came out TODAY and my phone SUDDENLY gets 100x slower and more glitchy for the first time ever in 3+ years pic.twitter.com/oCnXeI6cdS

— charlie (@instastan) November 3, 2017

false false

iPhone performance gets throttled as the battery ages! I wonder if this is the cause of my sudden 6+ slowdown. Maybe iOS 11 recalibrated it’s notion of battery age and suddenly my battery was “old.” https://t.co/PHyHMAT3Ab

— mikeash (@mikeash) December 10, 2017

So it's true Apple intentionally slow down old iPhones. Proof: My iPhone 6 was bought 3years ago and recently got really slow. APP 'CPU DasherX' shows iPhone CPU is under clocked running at 600MHz. After a iPhone battery replacement. CPU speed resumed to factory setting 1400MHz. pic.twitter.com/pML3y0Jkp2

— Sam S (@Sam_RMSI) December 20, 2017

We won’t know for sure unless Apple releases a statement on the issue. For now, rampant speculation is bound to continue.