Are software updates really slowing down your phone?

Are smartphone companies deliberately slowing down your phone with software releases? Perhaps. But, there’s more to this than meets the eye.

Apple is already fixing the problem with iOS 12 after a shocking revelation last year that it was indeed throttling the performance of older iPhones. (REUTERS)

Apple and Samsung were slapped with big penalty by Italy's antitrust regulators on Thursday for deliberately slowing down older phones with software updates - a suspicion long held by users.

"The two companies have induced consumers to install software updates that are not adequately supported by their devices, without adequately informing them, nor providing them an effective way to recover the full functionality of their devices," said the regulators.

Operating system updates led to "serious malfunctions and significantly reduced their performance, in this way speeding up their replacement with more recent products," they added.

Apple is already fixing the problem with iOS 12 after a shocking revelation last year that it was indeed throttling the performance of older phones. The company, however, had then said that it was slowing down performance of older phones to prevent unexpected shutdowns. Earlier this year, Samsung had said that it "does not provide the software updates to reduce the product performance over the life cycle of the device," according to reports.

Many believe that the slowing down of older phones is aimed at manipulating users into buying newer and more expensive hardware, the phenomenon is often called 'planned obsolescence'. While that might be true, there's more to this than meets the eye.

Software releases are important for end users as they not only bring new features but also include critical security updates. The problem, however, is that each major software release is made for the latest and a faster hardware and can't always be calibrated for older hardware.

Shrey Garg, an Android developer from Pune, says that in certain cases phones do get slow after software updates. "But I would say it would be unfair to generalise and say that all software updates make older phones slow. It is also a catch-22 situation for brands as they have to keep rolling out updates (which are bound to be heavier with time) while also ensuring that phones don't slow down," he explained.

Mohit Chhabra, software developer from Delhi, however, said that phones do sometimes have throttled performance after updates.

"Hardware is getting better with the new phones but it's the role of the software to make the most of the hardware. While we as consumers update our phones (to get the most out of the hardware) and expect better performance from our phones, we end up slowing our phones. Brands claim that the updates are targeted at the new hardware, which is required to make optimum use of updates, they're deliberately slowing down old phones to boost up sales of new ones," he said.

Ershad Kaleebullah, editor in chief of popular technology website The Mr. Phone, believes that aging hardware is also one of the root causes of the problem.

"It is inevitable no? Older phone means ageing hardware. Therefore, it becomes difficult for brands to maintain performance parity across devices. That said, with iOS 12, Apple has managed to make the software run smoothly even on the iPhone 6," he said.

He also pointed out that the definition of "old phone" has changed over the years. "What is an old phone? In the context of today's cycle - a phone is old in 3 years. So let's take an example, should iOS 12 run fast on iPhone 6s? Well, it does…," he added, highlighting that Samsung is yet to roll out Android Pie on its two-year-old Galaxy S7 Edge.

Apple last year admitted to slowing down performance of iPhones with worn out batteries (REUTERS)

Apple last year admitted to slowing down performance of iPhones with worn out batteries (REUTERS)

But what if some phone brands are actually slowing down older phones?

"Stricter laws against malpractices combined with a much more stringent and thorough testing process should be implemented," said Shrey.

"I don't think there is anything deliberate about it. Say for example, you get a software update on the iPhone 6 and the iPhone X at the same time, you are going to get the same message across both the devices no? It's not like the brand is purposely, intentionally, asking you to update your old iPhone 6. It is providing a software update. Let's for a second imagine that Samsung and Apple were deliberately slowing down phones to force upgrades, wouldn't the companies have thought about the implications? If it is really true, then these companies need to be pulled up and fined. Which is what is happening," added Ershad.

After disclosing that it was throttling performance on older phones, Apple faced a spate of lawsuits around the world, including the United States (US) and Russia. While Apple is among the top smartphone brands to own up to the problem and even try to deliver a fix, the situation in the Android space is worse. Many Android companies have failed to release critical firmware updates, let alone slowing phones down with them.

"…There are Android manufacturers that don't even provide updates. While it is important to bring brands under the scanner, we tend to forget the real offenders. It is easier to implicate an Apple or a Samsung because they can be held accountable - and if the problem escalates they will do something about it. What about the other brands," said Ershad.