I've never seen this with Pixels

https://youtu.be/YfnfhM4O_S8?t=202

45% battery on iOS 18

25% battery on iOS 26 (which corresponds to iOS 19)

...

This is 2026

https://www.ladbible.com/technology/iphone-ios-update-26-del...

(sadly got stuck with that degraded phone because the Apple Watch that refuses to pair if you run iOS 18)

> They did not lose, they settled a class action suit.

I mean... settling means you lost, almost by definition. You were sued and then paid the person who sued you. Settling is the result of almost all lawsuits where the company knows they were at fault - why would you go to trial if you know you're going to lose?

Now, don't get me wrong - your overall point could still be correct. Many companies who still do believe themselves to not be at fault, offer a settlement purely for the reason that it's cheaper in terms of legal fees (or perhaps less of a PR nuisance, or just generally lower-risk) than going to trial.

Try iOS 26, you'll see what it means in practice, you will get a phone with worse battery life, slower operating system and no path to downgrade, only way is to upgrade your phone to the next big thing.

If it's not malicious, then it's gross incompetence, but at the end of the day, it will still eventually require to purchase a new Apple device, when a downgrade would have been enough.

It's not the first time even: https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/iphone-update-iss... <iPhone user sparks debate after device becomes ruined following mandatory update: 'This is just ridiculous'>

It's a long-term issue, because even if it will get fixed in two years, then the battery damages due to severe drain are permanent, and this is to be paid with your pocket, or again... upgrade to a new iPhone.

It's not the first cycle like this, slower software is deployed to all iPhones, older iPhones lag, and you have to purchase the fresh new iPhone.

==

  "Apple implemented unfair commercial practices", the Italian competition authority said in a statement (after fining Apple).

  The companies encouraged users to upgrade operating system software but did not make clear the increased demands that new software would make on smartphones, according to the authority.

  This "caused serious malfunctions and significantly reduced performance", which provoked users into upgrading their devices, the authority said.

  https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45963943

This is about the generic software updates.

The main issue is that you have no path to downgrade, no way to use your own OS, and your only choice is to hope for an update from Apple that will revert back your device to its normal way of working, or, purchase a new phone, which won't have this issue.

It's literally impossible that they have not noticed, so if not planned obsolescence, at least, it is intentional degradation of existing products (or that their team is not able to notice...)

It's rather the other proof around that we would like to see, that Apple did not know the impact of what they are doing. If they knew, you know what it means.

Not arguing with your point about Google, but isn't Apple very often accused of forced obsolescence through updates to their phones? Is there any truth to the accusations of "running slower and dying faster" after a new model releases?

The increased update timelines by Google, Samsung and others roughly coincided with EU legislation coming into effect that mandates 5 years of updates after end of sales. We'll see.

https://www.heise.de/en/news/From-June-20-EU-gives-smartphon...

Do you have any part examples of them committing to a specific support timeline on a product and reneging on it? I can't think of one.

I mean I guess anything is possible, but the Pixel 6 and 7 also are receiving 5+ years of updates, and those sure seem real so far.