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iPhone users have been in an uproar over the discovery of a “sneaky” feature that slows down charging.
The feature, called Clean Power Charging, was quietly added in the iOS 16 update and limits charging when “clean power” isn’t being used.
Users believe the tech giant quietly added it “to trick them” into buying new iPhone models when their device was taking ages to charge, while others suggest Apple is “dictating how they use their $1,000 phones.”
Clean Power charging is currently only available in the US, where it’s on by default on iPhones, but luckily it can be turned off with a simple toggle in Settings.
Apple ‘built in’ the feature with the October 16 release of iOS in the US, which has already suffered from two security flaws.
The new feature is called Clean Power Charge and it’s on by default, but users can slow it down with a simple button.
‘The most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen!’ Some believe the feature is Apple’s way of getting people to update their iPhones.
Since downloading the latest operating system, users have noticed that their iPhones take longer to turn on.
Bernardo Magri, a frustrated iPhone user, tweeted: “This ‘clean power charging’ feature or[n] The iPhone is the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen lately.
“Apple pretends to care about the environment while deliberately slowing down older devices to force people to upgrade, thus creating a ton of e-waste.”
Another user wrote: ‘Wow… I was thinking maybe I need a new charging cable or my port was bad.’
Fervo Energy CEO Tim Latimer said: ‘I’m glad Apple is working on dynamic charging to shift to a low carbon hour.
‘BUT the way they implemented it is not great. Limited knowledge, default position is enabled.
“We should demand more transparency and choice of clean energy solutions or it will be counterproductive.”
And another user who also noticed the activated feature tweeted: ‘Woke bs continues’.
MailOnline has contacted Apple for comment.
Users are more frustrated that Apple didn’t publicly announce the feature, instead quietly introducing it, leaving them wondering why their device is charging so slowly.
‘Sneaky’: Some wanted the tech giant to be more transparent about the new feature, which was discreetly detailed in the fine print at the end of a press release last September
Another iPhone user said they thought they needed to buy a new Apple device when charging was slower than before.
One user said the update “woke” because of Apple’s apparent dedication to combating climate change, though in reality it could be that Apple just wants users to buy a new iPhone.
Apple mentioned clean power charging in the fine print from a September press releasebut many iPhone users are only now discovering that it exists.
Some wanted the tech giant to be more transparent about the feature, since users who didn’t know why their phone was charging properly might have gone out and bought a new iPhone.
“Clean Energy Charging aims to decrease the carbon footprint of iPhone by optimizing charge times when the grid uses cleaner power sources,” Apple says.
‘Clean Energy Charging kicks in only where you spend the most time and regularly charges your iPhone for long periods of time, like your home and workplace.
“The feature doesn’t kick in if your charging habits are variable or if you’re in a new location, such as when you travel.”
To turn clean power charging off, go to settings, tap ‘Battery’, then ‘Battery health and charging’, and then turn off the switch labeled ‘Clean power charging’.
Apple’s iOS 16 has come with a lot of problems; In February, the tech giant released a terrible update to fix the vulnerabilities.
One of the problems is in Webkit, a Safari browser engine that allowed criminals to run arbitrary code on an iPhone, and Homeland Security believes it may have been exploited.
The second kernel security flaw could allow an attacker to hijack privileges, but the tech giant doesn’t know it’s been used.
It’s unclear how long the vulnerabilities have been plaguing devices.
And two more security flaws were identified by privacy experts last week.
While another user pointed out that Apple’s production of iPhones has a bigger environmental impact than the customers who charge them.
‘Agenda Green’: The fact that Apple has been so quiet about the update suggests that you can nevertheless disable clean power charging with a simple button
The latest discovery allows cybercriminals to bypass security protections and execute malicious code to access users’ pictures and messages, along with their address book and calendar.
There are several ways to protect your personal information from hackers lurking in the shadows, such as only using trusted apps on the App Store and not opening messages from unknown users.
Apple recently added the new vulnerabilities to its product security update page, urging users to download iOS 16.3.1 to fix the issues.
VPNOverview privacy experts shared news about the vulnerabilities, CVE-2023-23520 and CVE-2023-23531, that allow attackers to bypass this cryptographic signing process and execute malicious code outside of its protected security sandbox.