Apple Inc said on Tuesday that it will update iOS software to collect information about unexpected shutdowns reported in China.
According to the announcement posted on its Chinese website, the company said it will include additional diagnostic capabilities in an iOS software update to be released next week.
Apple said the move will allow the company to gather information to help it improve the algorithms used to manage battery performance and shutdown.
Over the past two months, there have been 860 complaints in China about iPhones unexpectedly shutting down, even though their batteries were at 20 percent to 80 percent of capacity, the Global Times reported earlier, citing an announcement by the Shanghai Consumer Council.
On December 1, the U.S.-based technology powerhouse acknowledged that the unexpected shutdown was caused by the battery component being exposed to controlled ambient air longer than it should have been. Still, the company emphasized that the problem poses no safety risk.
However, the Shanghai Consumer Council recently released a report detailing battery fires in eight iPhone 6 handsets.
In response, Apple blamed "external physical damage" for causing iPhones to explode or catch fire, AFP reported, citing an Apple statement.
Apple said it had retrieved units for analysis and conducted thorough tests on phones which had experienced "thermal events," but it brushed off safety concerns.
"The units we've analyzed so far have clearly shown that external physical damage happened … that led to the thermal event," the statement said.
