Odd behavior with the power adapter on M1 MacBook pro in that it will go for weeks holding at ~80% charge based upon usage pattern, then all of a sudden will charge to 100% every time its connected to the power adapter without holding at reduced capacity. Use pattern is generally the same, so for no apparent reason it switches behavior. Anyone have any insight?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
That's Optimized Charging for you. If the laptop thinks you are about to unplug it then it'll charge to 100%. This has raised a lot of questions about how it works and many are in the dark.
What the laptop is supposed to do is charge to 80% and stay there until unplugged. It is "supposed" to learn when you normally unplug it and then after that it will charge to 100% prior to the time you normally unplug it. So if you don't have a somewhat fixed schedule of unplugging it, then it's likely confused about when to charge to 100%. I'd suggest that if you want the laptop fully charged when on battery that you set a consistent time to unplug it so the unit learns that you're going to unplug it at 6AM or whenever. Do that for a few days and see if it starts to charge to 100% before you unplug it.
Per Apple: Optimized Battery Charging: This feature helps to reduce the wear on your battery and improve its lifespan by learning your daily charging routine. It delays charging the battery past 80% when it predicts that you’ll be plugged in for an extended period of time, and aims to charge the battery before you unplug.
That's Optimized Charging for you. If the laptop thinks you are about to unplug it then it'll charge to 100%. This has raised a lot of questions about how it works and many are in the dark.
What the laptop is supposed to do is charge to 80% and stay there until unplugged. It is "supposed" to learn when you normally unplug it and then after that it will charge to 100% prior to the time you normally unplug it. So if you don't have a somewhat fixed schedule of unplugging it, then it's likely confused about when to charge to 100%. I'd suggest that if you want the laptop fully charged when on battery that you set a consistent time to unplug it so the unit learns that you're going to unplug it at 6AM or whenever. Do that for a few days and see if it starts to charge to 100% before you unplug it.
Per Apple: Optimized Battery Charging: This feature helps to reduce the wear on your battery and improve its lifespan by learning your daily charging routine. It delays charging the battery past 80% when it predicts that you’ll be plugged in for an extended period of time, and aims to charge the battery before you unplug.
Are you plugging and unplugging the charger from your MacBook Pro? Mine ONLY charges up to 100% when I unplug it. Since mine is plugged in to charge 99.99999% of the time, it doesn't often charge up to 100% until the next time I unplug and then plug back in.
Not that I don't trust Apple but I've turned Optimized Charging off and manually charge my 2021 M1 MacBook Pro to a maximum of 80%. My battery is now almost a year old with 80 cycles and 100% capacity. In a year I haven't lost a single mAh of my battery capacity.
If you ever run your battery capacity low, that creates a new usage pattern, where 80 percent high-charge is not good enough to 'get you through the day'.
If 80 percent high-charge is not good enough, then it will be forced to charge higher, possibly to 100, at least from time to time.
Running the battery LOW Is comparatively damaging , and is inconvenient if you seem to need appear to need more. Holding short of 100 is not nearly as much benefit to long battery life.
I agree with Idris.
I've owned my MacBook Pro now 5 months. I've exclusively used Optimized Battery Charging. My battery charge count is 10 in 5 months. I'm letting my MBP manage battery charging completely. It seems to be doing its job well and I don't have to spend a minute of my valuable time worrying about it. I don't use my MBP not plugged in often. You may use yours on battery power more.
Whether your method will do anything to make your battery last longer remains to be seen.
Personally, I'll put my money on Apple's software more intelligently managing my battery.
No insight but it also happens to me with an Intel 2020 MacBook Pro. Before Monterey it seemed completely flaky but since then t has worked much more consistently for me but still seems to jump to jump to 100% occasionally -- but infrequently enough that I'm wondering if it is designed to do that.
Now system always charges to full when connected with the charger, even when 'optimized charging' is checked. This option appears not to function in any sensible manner . OSX not as good as it used to be , too many features not enough attention to detail!
It's not performing to the specification, and it does not appear to learn from a consistent daily charging routine. It never holds at the 80% charge level as it used to do up to June 2022. Laptop is up to date [12.5.1], so 'optimized charging' appears non functional., Apple please fix this!
I think there are two camps: those who enjoy micromanaging their batteries and those who find it an annoying waste of time. Neither group is wrong. I wonder, though, how much difference either philosophy makes in the end.
MacBook Pro Battery charge
