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iPhone users in France get better performance from their old smartphone (Image: GETTY APPLE)
iPhone fans have been complaining for years that Apple is deliberately lowering performance on older models of its handsets. It can be absolutely frustrating to see an expensive smartphone slowly creep in as it ages.
Some think that this slow performance over time is designed to force you to upgrade to a more expensive model. However, Apple itself has said it’s meant to prevent an aging battery from causing unexpected shutdowns when you need to use your iPhone. Lowering the phone’s performance will put less strain on the battery and prevent it from overcharging and crashing, something that becomes more likely as the lithium-ion battery begins to fade with age.
Either way, it’s a real pain – so it’s no surprise that people are desperate for a solution. Now Reddit users share one simple hack that can make your iPhone run more smoothly.
The catch is that you may have to parlez a little French… that’s because the trick is to set your region to France in the phone settings. You can find the switch in your Settings app, under “General”. Tap “Language & Region” and then select France as your region. That is it!
And it really works, according to several sites that have tried it. A GeekBench test on the iPhone 7 found that the “phone’s running score” increased significantly, showing that the CPU runs faster when set to France.
What’s the secret? It dates back to 2020, when France fined Apple a whopping €25 million (£21.4 million) for limiting the performance of older iPhones. Since iOS 10.2, the operating system has limited the peak performance of older devices to prevent battery drain, sometimes even causing the device to shut down randomly.
While other countries fell short, France’s slap on the wrist meant Apple had to disable the feature for users in the country.
READ MORE: Beloved Android Feature Is NOT Coming to Apple’s iPhone 13
If that sounds like too much of a hassle, there are a few other ways to deal with the lag if you have an old iPhone.
First, check your Settings app for the “Battery” tab, then select the “Battery Health” option. This shows you the “maximum capacity” of your battery, which shows how effective it is compared to when the phone was new. Below that is the “peak performance” indicator.
If your battery is at peak performance, great! If not, you may see that “performance management” has been applied and an option to disable it. Disabling this should make your phone run faster… but be warned, this can increase the risk of random shutdown.
The second option is simply to replace your battery. Apple recommends doing this every 500 full charges. If you’re covered by Apple Care, this should be free, but could cost up to £70 if not, making it a much less affordable option than the others.
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