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Charging Issues Since Monterey Upgrade on M1 MacBook Pro

Hello Everyone,


I have a 2020 M1 MacBook Pro that I have been enjoying for several months now. On Monday I upgraded to MacOS Monterey 12.0.1 and have been experiencing issues with charging ever since.


When I plug in my charger (original Apple 61w w/ OEM Cable) the computer recognizes it and the device either runs off of wall power or charges for a time, no issue. But inexplicably as the device sits plugged in on my desk, the laptop eventually fails to recognize that it's getting power from the wall and starts draining the battery. I tried using an Apple 96w charger with another OEM cable in the office and the laptop is experiencing the same issue. This never occurred before the Monterey upgrade, and appears to occur regardless of which charger/cable combination that I use.


Has anyone else experienced this issue? I contacted Apple Support, and they had me run the laptop in safe mode for 10 minutes and then reboot, which didn't seem to make a difference. I really don't want to have to bring this into the Apple Store to get replaced under AppleCare+, because I think it's probably a firmware issue related to Monterey and not a hardware failure.


What should I do?

MacBook Pro (2020 and later)

Posted on Nov 3, 2021 4:35 AM

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Posted on Nov 3, 2021 4:41 AM

There are any USB-C Hub between the Charging cable and computer ? For best results a Direct connection from charger and cable to computer.


Batteries are considered Consumable Products. Over time it will degrade to a point where it needs to be replaced. The usage is normal as the capacity will go up and down all the time and never stay always at 100%. Apple Batteries are rated for 1000 Full Battery Cycles and / or 80% Capacity before needing Evaluation or replacement.


For additional reading on Battery and Apple Computers this link may help. About battery health management in Mac notebooks and especially for the M1 and Big Sur If battery charging is paused or on hold on your Mac


Depending on the Age of the computer, some aspects from the above links, may or may not apply to your computer.


A feature introduced into Big Sur was to preserve the number of Full Battery Cycles - there was an Algorithm coded into the macOS. It is perfectly Normal for Big Sur to Pause / Suspend charging the battery beyond 80% and hold it at that level. One can nudge / over-ride this by clicking the Battery Icon on Desktop Top Bar and allow charging beyond 80%. From observations, it will Pause / Suspend again once reading 90%. Same procedure to over-ride and will charge to 100%

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 3, 2021 4:41 AM in response to sweendiggler

There are any USB-C Hub between the Charging cable and computer ? For best results a Direct connection from charger and cable to computer.


Batteries are considered Consumable Products. Over time it will degrade to a point where it needs to be replaced. The usage is normal as the capacity will go up and down all the time and never stay always at 100%. Apple Batteries are rated for 1000 Full Battery Cycles and / or 80% Capacity before needing Evaluation or replacement.


For additional reading on Battery and Apple Computers this link may help. About battery health management in Mac notebooks and especially for the M1 and Big Sur If battery charging is paused or on hold on your Mac


Depending on the Age of the computer, some aspects from the above links, may or may not apply to your computer.


A feature introduced into Big Sur was to preserve the number of Full Battery Cycles - there was an Algorithm coded into the macOS. It is perfectly Normal for Big Sur to Pause / Suspend charging the battery beyond 80% and hold it at that level. One can nudge / over-ride this by clicking the Battery Icon on Desktop Top Bar and allow charging beyond 80%. From observations, it will Pause / Suspend again once reading 90%. Same procedure to over-ride and will charge to 100%

Nov 6, 2021 6:41 AM in response to Broadsword22

As with any new version of macOS - the initial release, even after Beta Testing since June 2021 to Release Date October 25, 2021 has not been tested on every single computer and with every single possible configuration.


User tend to install software and effect modifications to and on the pervious OS which, if left un-fixed, can or will result in a less than perfect upgrade, in this case to Monterey.


Yes, Monterey does have some issues to fixed in subsequent updates but on the most part is stable and works very well on the two Apple Computers in my stable. Both of them were upgraded from Big Sur version 11.6.1 to Monterey version 12.0.1


Several hi-lites to consider >>


1 - There are several points to consider before attempting the upgrade to Monterey. The most important is Due Diligence on the part of the User and is a Prerequisite for a smooth upgrade. 


2 - Are there pre-existing Unresolved Software Issues. They should be resolved prior to upgrading - they may carryover to Monterey making the system unstable / unusable.


3 - Do you have a Rescue Plan In-Place. This comprises having 3 Backups using 2 methods and 1 Off Site incase of Theft, Loss or Natural Disasters. A Time Machine Backup  is very useful and can be used to Revert to Previous Working macOS. For addition purposes - two Tested Bootable Clones each to separate external drives. This is insurance incase the upgrades goes sideways. At least one Tested Clone and / or Time Machine Backup should be Off - Site


4 - Are there any AntiVirus, Disk Cleaner, Optimizers, Un-installers, etc installed which should be removed as per Developers Instructions. They are useless, unneeded, cause havoc and interfere with the normal operation of the OS and may even Corrupt the OS requiring a Reinstallation. The The Built in Security  is all that is required.

Jan 24, 2022 7:46 AM in response to PRP_53

I've tried everything. I tried your tick. I removed the power cord for 3-seconds and it didn't work. I tried it again for 3-seconds and moved it to the first Thunderbolt port on the right-hand side and it worked. Thank you!


The exact problem I was having


  • Upgraded to Monterey
  • Immediate issues with the battery charging
  • Turned off Battery Optimization with no difference
  • I still saw the message that the "Battery Not Charging," even though the computer recognized that the power adapter was connected. Like many on this thread, nothing I did worked. The computer was still pulling from the battery instead of the power adapter.
  • Solution: I unplugged the power adapter from the Thunderbolt port (on the right-hand side) for 3-seconds. It didn't work. I unplugged the power adapter from the Thunderbolt port again and switched to another port on the same side and it worked.


The computer is now using the power adapter as it's source of power instead of the battery. Thanks P Phillips.


Nov 6, 2021 7:42 AM in response to sweendiggler

Do you use your MacBook Air the majority of the time?


If so, Battery Optimization is likely going to bring the MacBook Air back down to an 80% charge level, where it will remain. Also, it will learn from your habits, if fairly routine, and will figure out to start charging to 100% when you need it. This optimization is done to extend the life of the battery.


If you want to maintain the max charge all the time, uncheck Optimize battery in System Preferences Battery:


Also, you can always force it to charge to max when you so desire:


As in my case, I use my M1 MacBook Air on charger most of the time, so charging is put on hold and the battery kept at around 80%.

Nov 24, 2021 5:22 AM in response to sweendiggler

I have a similar issue with my machines, and it only started after the Monterey upgrade. One of my machines is a 2019 MacBook Pro which is about 3 months old and the other is a 2017 MacBook Pro, after upgrading to Monterey, I started having issues where if I ran down the battery to about 20%, it would tell me that it's going to take 4+ hours until full but that would then change to say the power source is the power adapter and that the battery isn't charging, even after looking at the battery usage graph, it doesn't look like it's charging well. The thing has been on charge since 9 am but the battery is actually losing charge and at some point it gets some charge.


Nov 3, 2021 4:47 AM in response to PRP_53

Thanks for the quick response! There is no hub being used, the charger is plugged directly into one of the USB-C ports. I have tried both ports with the same result.


It's not that charging stops and it shows the "plugged in not charging" warning, it's that the laptop no longer recognizes that it's plugged in.


The laptop is relatively new (9ish months) and only has 28 cycles on the battery. Battery health shows 92%.

Nov 6, 2021 5:10 AM in response to Broadsword22

Broadsword22 wrote:

Why should a upgrade for Apple cause so many problems, it not beta, but should be fit for purpose,
I have only found one JavaScript error on The SkyGo app, reading the reports I will probably find more !
Talking of faults SKY released the Glass TV again faults that should not be there.

Fail to see anything new to offer in the way of insights and / or solutions provided.


Apart from the assertion of " fit to purpose " which is based on what measurable documented evidence. One experience is not enough to make this a Wide Spread issue

Nov 8, 2021 4:07 AM in response to woodmeister50

In this case it’s not that the charging is on hold, it’s that the charger is not being recognized as plugged in even though it is, and the battery is actively draining. Unplugging and replugging is the only way to resolve.


Apple support had me reinstall Monterey to no avail, the same thing is still happening. Next step is a logic board replacement, but this never happened with Big Sur, so I’m confident that this is a firmware issue. I’m going to wait for the next update before I let them tear my machine apart.

Nov 8, 2021 4:12 AM in response to horotat

Same situation here when dealing with apple on this, it’s extremely frustrating. I do think it’s software/firmware and not a hardware issue though. For now it’s powered down and sitting on a shelf. I also have an Asus G14 gaming laptop so I’m using that in the interim as the MacBook isn’t reliable enough for daily use at present.


I have to say that Microsoft put Apple to shame with how smooth the upgrade to Windows 11 was on this laptop versus the issues I have had with Monterey on my MBP. Usually I’d expect the exact opposite scenario, but iOS 15 has also been a headache for me with battery drain issues.


Apple needs to focus more on QA of their OS updates across the board, this isn’t the kind of experience I should have when paying a premium for a phone or laptop.



Charging Issues Since Monterey Upgrade on M1 MacBook Pro

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