Recently HTC and Motorola came forward and volunteered information, which is that they do not slow down phones with older batteries. This is clearly a jab at Apple, who has recently admitted that they do slow down iPhones with older batteries, an acknowledgement that has since gotten them into heaps of trouble.Now it appears that both Samsung and LG have decided to toss their hats into the ring as well. In statements emailed to the folks at PhoneArena when asked if they do slow down their phones with older batteries, LG replied by saying, “Never have, never will! We care what our customers think.”
As for 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.”
Apple has since apologized for the way they handled the situation. They are also planning on launching a battery replacement program in which they will replace iPhone batteries not covered under warranty for $29, which is $50 off the regular price of $79. There will also be an update to iOS in which Apple will make it easier for users to identify if there might be an issue with their phone’s battery.