Best daily deals

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.

Samsung and LG say they don't slow phones with degraded batteries

Samsung and LG join Motorola and HTCin confirming that they do not slow down the processor in phones with older and degraded batteries.
By
December 29, 2017
TL;DR
  • Samsung and LG are going on record to say they don’t slow down older phones with degraded batteries.
  • Motorola and HTCconfirmed earlier this week that they do not engage in the practice.
  • Apple admitted to slowing down older iPhones to prevent unexpected shutdowns and has apologized.

By now you’ve likely heard about the allegations against Apple. Users on Reddit figured out that the company slows down the processor in iPhones with degraded batteries. Apple later admitted to the practice, stating that it was to prevent older iPhones from unexpected shutdowns.

Naturally, these developments led people to wonder if anyone in the Android world is doing something similar. Motorola and HTC have already confirmed that they don’t follow the practice. Now, Samsung and LG are speaking out too. Both companies deny that they slow down older phones in statements to Phone Arena:

LG:  Never have, never will! We care what our customers think.
Samsung: Product quality has been and will always be Samsung Mobile’s top priority. We ensure extended battery life of Samsung mobile devices through multi-layer safety measures, which include software algorithms that govern the battery charging current and charging duration. We do not reduce CPU performance through software updates over the lifecycles of the phone.

That’s four of the most influential companies in the Android world sounding off. Android devices may slow down over the years for a variety of reasons, but it’s good to know that it’ll never be because the manufacturer is forcing them to.

Rumors of planned obsolescence have plagued Apple for years, and this controversy certainly doesn’t help.

The company has apologized and reduced the price of battery repairs from $79 to $29. There is still some ambiguity over exactly when a phone will qualify for the battery replacement program, but Apple says it will release more details in January. The company will also release an OS update next month to give users easier access to battery health information.