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Battery death after Big Sur 11.6.1 update

My 2013 Macbook Air’s battery was working fine before I updated to 11.6.1 yesterday. Today, day after updating, my laptop’s battery is completely dead. It will only power up if it’s connected to the power charger.

Posted on Dec 4, 2021 4:16 AM

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Posted on Dec 4, 2021 6:32 AM

Start with the SMC Reset and perform this action three times consecutively


Then, perform the Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac and perform this action three times consecutively.


The test if the issue persists.


Should it still occur - Go About this Mac >> System Report. Scolls down to Battery and see how many Full Battery Cycles are reported.


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  & Monterey 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 & Monterey was to preserve the number of Full Battery Cycles - there was an Algorithm coded into the macOS. It is perfectly Normal for Big Sur , Monterey 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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14 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 4, 2021 6:32 AM in response to peachybrets

Start with the SMC Reset and perform this action three times consecutively


Then, perform the Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac and perform this action three times consecutively.


The test if the issue persists.


Should it still occur - Go About this Mac >> System Report. Scolls down to Battery and see how many Full Battery Cycles are reported.


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  & Monterey 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 & Monterey was to preserve the number of Full Battery Cycles - there was an Algorithm coded into the macOS. It is perfectly Normal for Big Sur , Monterey 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%




Dec 6, 2021 2:22 AM in response to PRP_53

Upon executing the suggested actions, upon turning on my laptop back again, it indicates that my battery is at 93% right before logging into my laptop. But when I disconnect, the laptop dies which is indicative of the battery not holding a charge.


Could it mean that the battery needs to be replaced or that the upgrade ruined the battery?

Dec 6, 2021 3:01 AM in response to peachybrets

How may Full Battery Cycles on are the battery ??


Apple Logo on Top Left of Screen >> About is Mac >> System Report >> Battery section on left and look on right. Should indicate the requested information.


If above is close or above 1000 - that question was answer earlier.


As evidenced by your description - the computer shuts off the moment the charger is removed - that too is a very real indication the battery can not hold a charge.


As to the cause - that too was answered earlier Computer as stated is a 2013 to 2021 - 8 year old battery.


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.


Further, if one believes the upgrade to Big Sur 11.6.1 was the root cause of the battery failure, there is noting that can be offered to convince one differently except to have the Computer Service by an Authorized Service Centre.

Dec 27, 2021 4:22 PM in response to peachybrets

peachybrets wrote:

It turns out that my battery cycle count is only at 323, normal condition. It is not fully charged and also not charging. State of charge is at 98%

P. Phillips is correct, if you disconnect from the power supply and the battery cannot hold a charge or provide power, the battery is probably worn out. Batteries can wear out from exceeding their lifetime of cycles (e.g. > 1000 cycles), but they also wear out from being connected to a charger most or all of the time as well. This means if enough time goes by, your battery will likely wear out one way or another. 8 years is longer than most laptop batteries last.


When you bring your laptop to an Apple certified service provider, before replacing the battery they will test it and your Mac to make sure the battery is the problem, versus some other circuitry in the Mac. If it is just the battery, that is straightforward to replace (and relatively low cost as well).


I doubt the update damaged your battery, that this happened at about the same time is probably a coincidence.

Battery death after Big Sur 11.6.1 update

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