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Turn Off iPhone Slowdown Feature With iOS 11.3 This Spring

Apple's iOS 11.3 update, arriving this spring, will give iPhone owners a full breakdown of their device's battery health, as well as new features for Messages and Health and four new Animoji.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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With the launch of iOS 11.3 this spring, iPhone owners will be able to switch off Apple's controversial slowdown feature and see a breakdown of their battery's health, the company confirmed today.

The features "can be found in Settings > Battery and are available for iPhone 6 and later," the company said in a statement that outlined a number of features expected in iOS 11.3. There, you can see if your iPhone needs a new battery, which you can obtain for $29 until Dec. 31, down from $79.

It comes after Apple faced a firestorm of criticism for secretly capping the performance of older iPhones. It started the practice a year ago via an iOS update to prevent the aging batteries inside from triggering shutdowns. Last week, CEO Tim Cook apologized for the misunderstanding and said Apple was working on an iOS update that would make the battery's condition fully transparent to iPhone owners.

Business Chat AppleThe battery-related features will arrive first as a developer release for iOS 11.3, which Cook said will be available in February, before going public as a beta.

Also expected in iOS 11.3 is a service called Business Chat for the Messages app. It will act as a window to schedule appointments, make purchases, and ask questions from customer service reps at real businesses. Companies including Wells Fargo, Lowe's, Hilton, and Discover have already signed on.

In addition, Apple is expanding its Health app to show your actual health records from participating hospital and clinics. You'll be able to pull up lab results, medications, allergy information, and more through the app, according to Apple.

ARKit 1.5, meanwhile, will allow apps to "recognize and place virtual objects on vertical surfaces like walls and doors, and can more accurately map irregularly shaped surfaces like circular tables."

New Animojis Apple

The iOS 11.3 update will also contain a little fun; it'll introduce four new Animojis that include a dragon, bear, skull and lion for a total of 16 different characters.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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