Batterygate is a term used to describe deliberate processor slowdowns on Apple's iPhones, in order to prevent handsets with degraded batteries shutting down when under high load. Critics argued the slowdown amounted to planned obsolescence, however this may stem from the common misconception that all older iPhones were slowed down. Some have argued that introducing a feature to prevent handsets with degraded batteries from rebooting is in fact the opposite of planned obsolescence since a slower non-rebooting phone would be preferable to the alternative. Other criticism has come from the fact that the affected handsets were slowed down without explanation or other options provided to the user. Apple has since updated iOS to provide notifications and settings to allow users visibility of the throttling and even the ability to disable the throttling if the user prefers to have their phone reboot under high load. The controversy first emerged in late-2016, when it was reported that since a recent iOS update, some iPhone handsets had begun to experience unexpected shutdowns when their battery capacity reached 30%, caused by drops in the battery's terminal voltage below a threshold of around three volts required for operation of the device. History Upon the release of iOS 10.1.1 in late-2016, reports surfaced of battery usage issues with the update. There were also reports of device instability from some users on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S models, including situations where the device would unexpectedly shut down once its battery capacity reached 30% (with one user having described the battery percentage as unexpectedly jumping down to 1% before doing so, but still appearing as 30% after the device was plugged in and rebooted). Apple confirmed in December 2016 that some iPhone 6S models manufactured in September and October 2015 had suffered from a battery manufacturing defect. The company stated that this defect was not a safety concern, but that it could diminish capacity, and cause shutdowns to "protect [the device's] electronic components". In regards to other instances of shutdowns, Apple stated that it would include an "additional diagnostics capability" in the next iOS update so that it could "improve algorithms for managing battery performance and shutdown operations" in future versions. With the release of iOS 10.2.1 in February 2017, Apple stated that it had reduced unexpected shutdowns on iPhone 6S by "more than 80%", and by "over 70%" on iPhone 6. Apple also reported that these issues