Apple will release update to eradicate iPhone battery throttling

Users will be able to choose between a phone that slows down, or one that shuts down

American tech giant Apple has confirmed it's working on an update for iPhone users that'll allow them to eradicate controversial battery throttling.

In an interview with ABC News, Apple boss Tim Cook was quizzed about the company slowing down ageing iPhones. He said the firm will release a software update to stop throttling altogether.

Although Cook didn't provide exact dates for the update, he did explain that Apple will push out a developer beta over the next month and that a public release will follow.

With the update, iPhone owners will be able to switch off performance throttling, but they may be exposed to shutdowns. However, the processing power of handsets shouldn't be affected.

Cook said that when the company has released software updates to slow older handsets, it's likely that users haven't been "paying attention". He apologised for not making these updates more comprehensive.

In the ABC interview, he apologised for these actions: "Maybe we weren't clear. We deeply apologise to anyone who thinks we have some other kind of motivation."

He said that the company had been trying to focus on "user experience" and that these updates were aimed at eradicating sudden restarts.

Apple has also slashed the prices of batteries in the last month, something Cook said was a "rational" decision for the company. He said "most people kind of expect to get a new battery at some point in time."

Cook also answered a question about a cheaper iPhone, saying that the current price of the handset is "at a level that is consistent with the value of the phone."

He said: "We put a lot of innovation in these phones, and so we think they're a reasonable price," he said.

In December, Apple issued a public apology for the battery throttling fiasco. It said: "We've been hearing feedback from our customers about the way we handle performance for iPhones with older batteries and how we have communicated that process.

"We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologise. There's been a lot of misunderstanding about this issue, so we would like to clarify and let you know about some changes we're making."

It added: "First and foremost, we have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades.

"Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that."