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Why can't there be an app for my Mac laptops, or a built-in feature of MacOS, that will let m set my laptop battery charge to stay within a 40% to 80% range? That would allow me to plug-in my charger whenever I am using my laptop, or even 24/7, and not worry about over- or under-charging my battery.
So, back to my original question - which everyone who has posted says is an unnecessary question. Why hasn't someone - or Apple - developed an app? It there a technical reason why it cannot be done?
The answer to your question is that there is no API to control how a Mac charges its battery.
So, back to my original question - which everyone who has posted says is an unnecessary question. Why hasn't someone - or Apple - developed an app? It there a technical reason why it cannot be done?
The answer to your question is that there is no API to control how a Mac charges its battery.
You can leave your computer plugged in whenever needed or convenient to do so. Neither the computer nor battery will be damaged. There is no need to micromanage the computer's charging/power system. The MacOS manages and controls the system very well. About battery health management in Mac notebooks - Apple Support
I would say letting the battery discharge below 20% is using it intensively. It seems to me starting to recharge it at 40% is using it moderately. Is charging it to 100% good for the battery? My reading says no, and Apple seems to say no, since they talk about managing a battery's health by only charging it to 100% "when needed". But if my established pattern says I always stop charging at 80%, then recharge after a drop to only 40%, why does Apple let it recharge to 100% if I forget and leave it plugged-in to the charger when I go to lunch?
So, back to my original question - which everyone who has posted says is an unnecessary question. Why hasn't someone - or Apple - developed an app? It there a technical reason why it cannot be done?
Well, I understand your reasoning. And the optimised battery charging feature is very nice, but...
Seeing as Apple limits the battery at 80% for maintaining long term battery health, we can safely assume that charging to 100% charge is not as good as maintaining an 80% charge over a sustained period. This exact problem is fixed by the optimised battery charging algorithm, however...
I already know that for the foreseeable future I will have irregular charging patterns, thus guaranteeing that optimised battery charging will not work for me. By the time the algorithm figures out it should limit the charging the damage is done (from personal experience, it's just too slow).
I also know that when I plug it in I might want to work on power without actually charging (to prevent the battery from being at 100% all the time).
And thus I also seek the option to postpone charging manually.
You seem slightly disrespectful and condecending. There are use case scenario's where the feature request above is useful.
What you describe as what you want is what it already does.
A power supply can NOT 'force itself' on your Mac. The computer is in control of the charging process, and only accepts charging power when needed.
I hear you (read you) say this, but when I plug-in my charger, my Intel MacBook Pro w/ 11.6.4, with battery preference set to Optimized battery charging, charges right up to 100% and stays there. I have read that 40-80% is best.
My usage pattern is that when I use the computer, I plug-in the charger when the battery drops to 40%, then I unplug the charger when the battery gets to 80%. I feel like an unpaid battery babysitter. If I get distracted, the battery will charge right up to 100% - it does not stop at 80% or 90% - ever.
fourwheelcycle wrote:
My usage pattern is that when I use the computer, I plug-in the charger when the battery drops to 40%, then I unplug the charger when the battery gets to 80%. I feel like an unpaid battery babysitter. If I get distracted, the battery will charge right up to 100% - it does not stop at 80% or 90% - ever.
You don't need to micromanage the system. Let the very capable MacOS manage the charging/power system. Leave the computer plugged in when convenient to do so.
If you let it discharge to 40 percent, it WILL charge to 100 percent, because you have established a history of using that battery intensively. It will charge to 100 percent to be ready for you to use it the way you have been using the battery.
Just as BobTheFishernan says, "Plug it in and leave it plugged in. Don't micro-manage."
So, back to my original question - which everyone who has posted says is an unnecessary question. Why hasn't someone - or Apple - developed an app? It there a technical reason why it cannot be done?
You would need to ask Apple as we are not allowed to speculate on Apple's policies, decisions or future products -sorry.
FWIW.I allow the OS to do its job - when I plug it in, I allow it to go to 100%. And I unplug it when I remember to do so as it does not overcharge.
I can assure you that the MacOS will manage the power/charging system better and more efficiently than you or a third party app will. Why the reluctance to let the MacOS manage the system? Plug it in and forget it. Letting the MacOS manage the system will also reduce the rate of accumulation of battery cycles.
You small mutterings as written above would be growing to swears that I could hear from my house if it optimized your battery to 80 percent charge and then you wanted to use 100 percent one day in the field.
If you are using it irregularly, and occasionally drawing deeply, it will charge to 100 percent, and that is what is better for you in the long run. You don't want its 'protecting that last 20 percent' when that means you can never use that last 20 percent for your important field work.
Your computer is a tool that allows you to complete your important work. Battery is a consumable, like the soles of your shoes or the tires and brakes on a car. You will need to replace them eventually, possibly just based on how long they have been in service -- whether they are worn out or not.
The 'level it charges to' is based on your usage pattern, observed over time. If you do not draw it down low, your Mac will, over time relax how high it charges.
Then you can continue to micro-mange it yourself, and it will be done EXACTLY the way you want it to be done.
But Readers here are NOT likely to be sympathetic.
Charge Limiting App
