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Ex-Apple engineer says Apple deliberately slows older phones via updates
(www.macobserver.com)
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this post was submitted on 20 May 2026
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installs Windows 11 on a PC built in 1995 miCrOsOfT dELibEraTeLy sLoWiNg dOwN oLdEr sYsTeMs
Apple keeps making iOS more bloated to the point where older devices struggle to do basic things.
Yah, any modern software does that. Such a spooky concept that software devs add features over time!
They don’t need to do that to old phones. Just security updates.
Apple released Snow Leopard in 2009. That OS release added nothing new except it did everything faster. iOS is long overdue for that.
Nah, they need to keep all phones in OS parity for security purposes.
They already have fragmented mobile OS systems.
Mobile OS should be forced 5 years of security updates without forcing full OS updates.
Thats not a good security model. Allows too much fingerprinting. All devices should run the same immutable OS.
Now do Windows.
My Windows 11 gaming PC built in 2026 feels slower than my gaming PC from more than a decade ago.
Windows is a total POS.
Windows 10 used to do similar to me, I'd wait until I had no choice to install updates. While waiting to ensure the updates wouldn't have unfortunate side effects, my PC would noticeably slow down but as soon as the update was applied, boom, back to normal speed. I did reboot before every VR stream but only applying the update would return the pc to normal speed.
Apple was caught a few years ago restricting CPU performance to allegedly improve battery life on older devices, so the same applications on the same OS version were slowing down.
Most laptops do the same thing. There is even different power settings when plugged in vs battery!
Yeah, but that is on all devices. And it is user adjustable (usually, my laptop has turbo mode available only while plugged in). Apple was slowing down iPhones permanently over time while hiding it from users.
Yeah, they hide everything from everyone. Its a closed source, proprietary OS. Why should I be worried about them extending my battery life while curbing performance if they think its a better experience for me?
... cause it may not be better experience. And after backlash, they added option in the settings to let users choose. There was no reason to not add it to settings in the first place.
And Apple choosing user experience for me is one if the main reasons I will never buy anything from Apple. I like adjusting everything.
Happy for you bro