Does your iPhone seem to get slower and slower as it grows older? Well, according to Apple that is exactly what’s supposed to happen.

Many iPhone users have long suspected that Apple throttles iPhone performance. The popular theory is that Apple does so to entice users to upgrade, but in a statement released by the company today, it says there are some really good performance reasons behind it.

A Reddit post over a week ago reignited the issue after an iPhone 6s user found that replacing his battery sped up his device. Geekbench scores appeared to confirm the theory of Apple throttling iPhones with older batteries.

Throttling CPU speeds

Apple opened up to TechCrunch today confirming that it does indeed lower CPU performance on some iPhones. In its statement, Apple says it does so to actually prolong the life of your iPhone, not to weaken it.

“Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.”

Everyone knows that batteries get weaker as they age, so it shouldn’t be surprising that Apple is trying to smooth out performance so its optimal throughout the battery’s life. Apple is trying to make your iPhone work longer with fewer issues rather than trying to get you to upgrade.