Smart upgraders know that when a major new version of iOS drops, older devices might want to think twice about updating. That advice isn’t much comfort to people on the iPhone 4s, though, who pulled the trigger on iOS 9, and saw their devices slow down as a result. Now, a class-action lawsuit is targeting Apple on behalf of iPhone 4s owners, arguing that Cupertino essentially crippled their phones with the update.
The lawsuit has been filed by Chaim Lerman, who wants over $5 million in damages. He claims that upgrading to iOS 9 “significantly slowed down” iPhone 4s devices, forcing him and other to live with a “slow and buggy device” or else spend hundreds of dollars on the upgrade.
When iPhone 4s owners are faced with the dilemma of continuing to use a slow, buggy phone or spend hundreds to buy a new phone, Apple often benefits because consumers will often buy a new iPhone to keep their investment in the App ecosystem. […]
Furthermore, iPhone owners will buy a newer iPhone when faced with the choice because it is familiar and they can easily transfer their information, media, contacts, and apps without a major disruption in usage. There is no learning curve and no delays and trouble that accompany new information input. Thus Apple stands to benefit financially when older iPhones are slowed down and owners are forced to purchase a new phone.
Apple is often hit with such lawsuits, accusing Cupertino of software updates that make older devices functionally obsolete. It’s a hard choice: Apple can either stop updating older devices, fragmenting their OS, or keep older devices updated, and occasionally fall afoul of litigious customers who don’t realize there’s a trade-off for installing newer software on older devices.
What do you think? Should Apple stop supporting old devices earlier than it does?
Source: Scribd
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
26 responses to “$5 million lawsuit asks: Did iOS 9 cripple iPhone 4s devices?”
I’ve honestly never quite understood why people expect the latest & greatest software to work on a device launched literally (less a month) four years ago. People can yell about planned obsolescence all they like, but at some point you have to look at the hardware inside the phone and think “hmm, maybe something this old just doesn’t have the processing power capable of handling the new system”. If your 4S still works to your satisfaction here at the end of 2015, I’m actually impressed, considering most people I know crack their phones within a few months of getting them. If you can’t afford to upgrade to the 6S just yet, most carriers are offering the 5S for zero dollars. I’m too impatient to have a 4-year upgrade cycle, but maybe this is your sign to either stick with what you’ve got, or go grab a 6S.
Not much to understand – this has more to do with some peoples’ greed (or the lawyers’ that practically beg people to sue for these ‘hardships’) than it does with a lack of understanding of newer, more powerful software requiring more powerful devices to run well.
America – the land of the lottery lawsuit.
Because dodo, Apple provides software for those older devices which strongly suggests the older devices will work with the latest & greatest software/OS’sess.
Most people I know don’t krack their phones (when did ‘krack’ with a [k] become ‘crack’?).
I guess that one possible way out for Apple, would be to make an iOS downgrade available for unhappy users…
Totally agree. With each of my previous iPhones it seems there always comes an update that just slows the phone down to a crawl compared to how it was running right up to that point and I would’ve been more than happy to go back even one update prior just to keep it that way…..frustrating enough I can see why someone would want to file a lawsuit, lol.
I thought you could back out updates by doing a backup in iTunes.
I suspect that whiner that is suing could have gone back to iOS 8 but didn’t back up his phone. Like I said, it’s more about greed and ignorance than any real distress.
You can’t downgrade iOS.
Maybe not downgrade – but it definitely used to be possible to restore to an old version (haven’t done it in years as I no longer bother physically connecting my iPhone to iTunes). Someone mentioned that Apple is no longer signing iOS 8, so maybe that would prevent s restore…but I doubt that happened right after iOS 9 became available…so for at least some time after discovering that iOS 9 doesn’t run well on his 4s, he could have reverted.
I’m sure you will agree that the majority of iPhone users are not technically aware of the full scope of issues with upgrades; a question here is should they be? I myself am fully aware of the risk with an upgrade and even I have regretted the upgrade path!! Anyway, the word ‘upgrade’ implies ‘improvement’ and in my opinion upgrades should NOT be touted to an older device unless there is some actual meaningful improvement to functionality and / or performance on that particular older device.
I agree that an upgrade should provide improvements and that it not have been advertised as such for iPhone 4s users if it didn’t. I don’t know if Apple did. IOS 9 did have meaningful functional improvements (even for iPhone 4s users) as well as bug & security fixes – at the cost of performance, apparently.
I don’t expect users to understand all the risks of upgrading – but I think they should understand that new software features don’t come for free.
Also, this is one of those “damn if you do and damn if you don’t” things. Apple is the only smartphone vendor who supports their phones for 4+ years. Most competition abandons their phones after 1-2 years – if that long.
I have a 6 Plus and that’s been crippled. So F#$% Apple… And 9.2 is worse that 9!
Cheaper to invest in the another ecosystem rather than continuing down this path. Apple make a handful of devices, there is no excuse for perfect software.
Yeah right. Upgraded an Android lately? Can’t be done, no matter how new your Android device.
How come nobodies ever filed suit against Android manufacturers over this point?
Apple shouldn’t offer upgrades when it makes a device run worse. Because that’s not an upgrade… It’s a downgrade.
I have a feeling iPhone 6 Plus is like iPad 3! Issue laden.
I have upgraded Android devices several times, last time about a week ago, what are you talking about?
Spoken like someone that just reads hype and has probably never used an Android device.
2/10
Try again, troll.
The problem isn’t that the 4s bogs down with iOS 9 ,the problem is Apple told 4s customers that iOS 9 would be an improvement over IOS 8.This is false.I was sceptical of downloading IOS9 right from the beginning,it didn’t offer anything really new to IOS8 unless I had newer hardware.Alas I bought the new Apple tv,when setting it up by iPhone,I was prompted to upgrade to IOS 9,or else I could not use the iPhone to automagically set up the Apple tv.I upgraded and it is worst Apple experience I have ever had.It is not just that it is slower,some times it just doesn’t function.I wanted to get 5 years out of my 4s,should have stayed with IOS 8.My mistake,but Apple is also at fault here for telling its customers that IOS 9 would improve the iPhone 4s.Oh and by the way I own an iMac from 2008, el Capitan works just fine.
I haven’t done it for years, thanks to iCloud, but it used to be standard procedure to back up your iPhone before upgrading. Would that have been an option for you to go back to iOS 8?
I don’t recall Apple specifically promising better performance for 4s users. IOS 9 did improve things in non-performance areas – even for iPhone 4s users. Improved search/Siri, better calendar, and new fonts are examples that come to mind.
Yes my iPhone is backed up but Apple does not “sign” iOS 8 anymore ,so it won’t let you go back to iOS 8.Had I upgraded as soon iOS 9 was released I would have had a small window of opportunity to go back.I guess I will just suffer until iPhone 7 is released.
They may not have specifically singled out the 4s, but they did say IOS 9 would be faster and more responsive using less resources and the iPhone 4s is on this list.Mine is sluggish a,slower and at times totally unresponsive.What I should have done was configure my Apple tv manually,not using iPhone set up feature.
What’s interesting is that before El Capitan, I’d notice that OS X upgrades during the 00s did slow older Macs down considerably. I think it was a period around or before Leopard was implemented. So this slowing down an older Apple device isn’t something new to the 4S.
I love Mavericks/Mountain Lion/Snow Leopard which all ran fine on older machines but Tiger, Panther, maybe even Leopard, etc., you could clearly feel that older machines were bricked to some extent. It was apparent then.
I got iOS 9 on my 5S just before I got a 6S – no problem and neither has the friend that bought the 5S off me.
It actually made the 5S run cooler than it did on 8.
Michel, this article is specific to 4S issues, not 5s nor 6s :)
This is just a play to get a free iPne 7S when they come out. If I had the resources I’d file suit against the Plaintiff, and those that joined the class for filing a frivolous claim, costing Apple monies defending thereby diluting shareholder value.
Yes, most technically experienced iPhone users know the pros and cons of upgrading the latest iOS to an older device but the majority of iPhone customers are not ‘technically experienced’ and they deserve to be ‘protected’ from the detrimental effects of advanced iOS upgrades on their older iPhone. Apple could do a better job with ensuring compatibility of upgrades on older devices; the upgrade can easily recognize the iPhone model and each iOS version upgrade could easily ‘adjust’ its install implementation to optimize itself on each older device. This is a higher cost option for the Apple iOS development team but, with profit in the billions of dollars, Apple should better balance the trade off of profit to performance and profit to customer satisfaction. Apple have gambled on the majority of older device users forking out the money to purchase a newer device however this is not entirely fair and law suits have historically been necessary in order to protect customer’s rights. Customers have a right to expect their ‘products’ to function as new in the absence of damage caused by the customer. The word ‘upgrade’ implies ‘improvement’ and therefore upgrades should NOT be touted to older devices unless there is verified meaningful improvement to functionality and / or performance; end of story!
Frivolous lawsuit is frivolous. Like all the others, this will be thrown out. This guy is a moron.
If one assumes that Apple knows what it’s doing, then one must also accept the premise that Apple knew the upgrade would slow 4s phones.
Then to tell 4s owners to upgrade because it’s better than what they have now, and not reveal their phones would actually become buggy and slower is a false statement made to induce people ultimately buy a new product. That’s fraud.