Smartphone Maker Apple Apologises for iPhone Slowdowns and Offers $29 Battery Replacements

Apple has apologized to its customers for what it calls a “misunderstanding” around the revelation that the company has been slowing down older phones to accommodate for their aging batteries.

“We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize,” the company said in a letter published on its website Thursday. It also promises a $29 battery replacement that, Apple says, will immediately return an iPhone 6 or later model to its original performance. The new batteries, which normally cost $79, will be available starting in January and through 2018.

“At Apple, our customers’ trust means everything to us. We will never stop working to earn and maintain it. We are able to do the work we love only because of your faith and support – and we will never forget that or take it for granted,” CNBC reports.

The controversy over the slowing performance of aging iPhones exploded last week after a blog post highlighted the relationship between iPhone performance and battery condition. Apple later confirmed that it has been slowing older iPhones’ performance to prevent sudden shutdowns as their aging batteries lost potency over time, according to a report appeared on CNET.

Apple also said that they never intentionally do anything to shorten the lifespan of their products. According to the company when users first reported slowing down of their iPhones after an iOS update, they thought that, “this was due to a combination of two factors: a normal, temporary performance impact when upgrading the operating system as iPhone installs new software and updates apps, and minor bugs in the initial release which have since been fixed.”

However, now the company believes that aging batteries are the culprit behind the slowdown of iPhones and the company will do better in future iOS updates to manage the situation. Meanwhile, Apple is also offering a peace offering to its users in the form of reduced prices for batteries replacement and a promise for better future updates.