MacBook Pro with M1 Pro battery drain with conference-call apps

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Level 1

6 points

MacBook Pro with M1 Pro battery drain with conference-call apps

Hi! I would like to ask if anyone experiences similar issue as I do. Whenever I have to use apps for conference calls, such as SKYPE, ZOOM, MEET, MESSENGER, TEAMS etc. my battery drops by approximately 20-25%/hour, depending on the app I'm using and whether or not I use screen share as well. I can get maximum of 5 hours on calls using these apps on battery - I have no idea whether it is normal or not. I have checked and the only app optimised for Apple Silicon is ZOOM. The others are Intel based - no idea whether this could be causing the drain, since ZOOM usually drains from 12-15% / hour. When using other apps for anything else than calls, the battery gives me approximately 10 hours, but with those apps 5 hours tops. Thank you in advance!

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 12.1

Posted on Dec 14, 2021 9:38 AM

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Answer 1

dadotrinast Author

Level 1

6 points

Dec 14, 2021 9:59 AM in response to muguy

That's what I was thinking, just to avoid draining the battery so quickly and avoiding additional battery cycles. I am not sure, but I had a MacBook Air and since I hadn't noticed such battery drain with Air, I was wondering, whether it could be caused by the apps not being adjusted to M1 Pro at all. Because those apps work pretty much fine with my iPhone and iPad, so I was hoping they would also work with my Mac (which is obviously completely different OS, but still). Thank you for your reply :)

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Answer 2

muguy

Level 10

81,247 points

Dec 14, 2021 10:02 AM in response to dadotrinast

There are probably a number of factors; connection speed, battery age, battery capacity, processor requirements, etc. I had a 2 hour online course over zoom and my new iPhone would go from 100 to 10 percent in that time. My Mac fared better but was getting very hot (likely pulling down more video data at higher-resolution). Who knows.

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Answer 3

muguy

Level 10

81,247 points

Dec 14, 2021 9:41 AM in response to dadotrinast

Those apps are resource hogs and quickly deplete a battery. Best to keep your device plugged in while using.

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Answer 4

dadotrinast Author

Level 1

6 points

Dec 14, 2021 10:04 AM in response to muguy

Of course, I was just wondering whether someone else was experiencing the same issue or whether it might also be a faulty battery of some sort, since I have had my Mac for about a month now.

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MacBook Pro with M1 Pro battery drain with conference-call apps

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