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Apple changes default MacBook charging behavior to improve battery health

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Re: Apple changes default MacBook charging behavior to improve battery health

#151
post #127

For people who use their laptops primarily as plugged in machines, there should be a 50% max charge mode.

Why is it not possible to completely save the battery when on AC? i.e. charge the battery to 100% (or something close) but power the laptop directly via the charger.

>i.e. charge the battery to 100% (or something close) but power the laptop directly via the charger.

That's already what's happening. However that's not enough. Leaving the battery full is harmful in and of itself.

Re: Apple changes default MacBook charging behavior to improve battery health

#152

I got a top spec 15 MBP a year ago and I have to say the experience is appalling - 4000$ device that goes full airplane takeoff levels of noise at any serious workload, no ability to control performance (I would gladly throttle the CPU sooner to avoid everyone in the office turning my way when I start an emulator or keep the fans at lower RPM but constantly instead of letting the CPU idle at 60-70 degrees with no fan…

I have almost identical spec laptops from Dell and Apple (XPS 15 and 15" MacBook Pro with same CPU) and on both they ramp up to full fan speed when I do any serious work on them so it isn't limited to Apple laptops. Pretty much all 15" laptops with 45W Intel CPUs turn into jet engines when under load, at least in my experience. Also not to defend Apple but I do find the MacBook Pro cools down and gets quieter quicker…

But windows has power profiles, intel utilities to undervolt and limit boost clock

Re: Apple changes default MacBook charging behavior to improve battery health

#153

I thought keeping a MacBook plugged in was advertised as OK (Even said to be BETTER) since the power is being drawn from the AC source rather than the battery. What’s the deal, is it better to leave it plugged in, or not?

Generally speaking it’s better to keep it plugged in than to repeatedly charge and discharge it. But it’s even better to keep in plugged in at 80% charge instead of 100%.

Re: Apple changes default MacBook charging behavior to improve battery health

#154
post #86

I wish they'd give us the option (on the iPhone and iPad as well) to arbitrarily set the maximum charge level. Just like on my Tesla, I'd like to be able to tell my phone not to charge above 80%.

iOS has made steps towards this by learning your charging habits (e.g at night), going to 80%, and wait to the last minute before topping up.

This is something I have heard about but have yet to experience. Maybe my charging habits are too irregular.

Re: Apple changes default MacBook charging behavior to improve battery health

#155
post #44

Why not just get rid of built-in batteries entirely? Not only does it lead to unethical business practices (linking battery life to hardware performance), but it facilitates a privacy nightmare.

If I could just remove and replace a battery then I wouldn't have to give my laptop to someone else. I always put in a separately bought SSD in a laptop, so that I am able to remove my data in case of a (warranty) repair by someone else who doesn't do the repair in front of me.

Re: Apple changes default MacBook charging behavior to improve battery health

#156

I got a top spec 15 MBP a year ago and I have to say the experience is appalling - 4000$ device that goes full airplane takeoff levels of noise at any serious workload, no ability to control performance (I would gladly throttle the CPU sooner to avoid everyone in the office turning my way when I start an emulator or keep the fans at lower RPM but constantly instead of letting the CPU idle at 60-70 degrees with no fan…

have you considered using a laptop cooler? If you get two large fans they will be quite quiet.

I have found that "gaming" on my macbook almost requires it as for whatever reason, the system will NOT spool up when intel gpu gets hot.

Re: Apple changes default MacBook charging behavior to improve battery health

#157
post #44

Why not just get rid of built-in batteries entirely? Not only does it lead to unethical business practices (linking battery life to hardware performance), but it facilitates a privacy nightmare.

> Why not just get rid of built-in batteries entirely Built-in batteries allow for custom battery shapes that increase battery life or allow for thinner computers at the same battery life. They increase laptop durability by not requiring a removable battery cover. They allow for putting other components on top of the battery as well to better take advantage of the space inside the enclosure. > it facilitates a privac…

>Built-in batteries allow for custom battery shapes that increase battery life or allow for thinner computers at the same battery life.

Why not putting these bag shaped battery cells in a plastic case? Couldn't this case still have any shape?

Re: Apple changes default MacBook charging behavior to improve battery health

#158

So many people on here seem to be intent on micromanaging their device's battery. IMO the whole point is to let macOS handle it so you can focus on actual work. I know Apple has screwed up in the past with throttling iPhone CPU's (bad). At this point they know not to go to those lengths again.

The only thing they screwed up on was not telling people they were throttling. They're still doing it (which is good).

Re: Apple changes default MacBook charging behavior to improve battery health

#159

I wish they'd give us the option (on the iPhone and iPad as well) to arbitrarily set the maximum charge level. Just like on my Tesla, I'd like to be able to tell my phone not to charge above 80%.

Long time ago Ezekeel, a xda-developers user, published a kernel mod for the Nexus S that let you choose the max percentage that the battery could reach while charging. It was called BLX aka Battery Life eXtender. I always set it to 80%. I've always been intrigued by extending the life of li-ion cells and that's the only work that goes into that direction AFAIK. I believe it was 2011. There hasn't been anything like…

There's AccA (and the command-line ACC) which allow fairly sophisticated control over max voltage and charging rates, with easy profile switching (features depend on kernel/hardware, but works with a lot of stock ROMs). Root is required, unsurprisingly.

https://github.com/MatteCarra/AccA/releases/

Re: Apple changes default MacBook charging behavior to improve battery health

#160

So many people on here seem to be intent on micromanaging their device's battery. IMO the whole point is to let macOS handle it so you can focus on actual work. I know Apple has screwed up in the past with throttling iPhone CPU's (bad). At this point they know not to go to those lengths again.

The only thing they screwed up on was not telling people they were throttling. They're still doing it (which is good).

To be fair that's a pretty big thing to screw up. I commend Apple for a lot (see my last 3 comments), but I think they cross the line of too-voodoo too frequently. I think they'd do well to dispel more magic.
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