Apple's Battery Health Management Feature Cannot Be Disabled on Apple Silicon Macs

[MacRumors]

Apple's battery health management feature cannot be disabled on Apple Silicon Macs, as there is no toggle switch for this in System Preferences on these machines.

Battery health management cannot be disabled on Apple Silicon-based Macs​

Introduced in macOS Catalina version 10.15.5, the battery health management system is designed to improve the lifespan of a Mac notebook's battery by reducing the rate at which it chemically ages. The feature achieves this by monitoring the battery's temperature history and its charging patterns, and temporarily reducing the battery's maximum charging capacity as necessary, according to Apple.

The feature can still be disabled on Intel-based Macs, but Apple warns this may reduce the battery's lifespan. On macOS Big Sur, navigate to System Preferences > Battery > Battery > Battery Health… and uncheck "Manage battery longevity." On macOS Catalina, the checkbox is located in System Preferences > Energy Saver > Battery Health…

Battery health management can be disabled on Intel-based Macs​

As further confirmation, Apple has shared a new support document about battery health management on Apple Silicon Macs, and unlike the version of the document for Intel-based Macs, there is no section on turning off the feature.

Article Link: Apple's Battery Health Management Feature Cannot Be Disabled on Apple Silicon Macs

 

[Sebosz]

Expect your ARM Mac to unexpectedly shut down in lower temperatures 😂

 

[Digital Skunk]

Given how many time I've had to send a fat, swollen laptop in for repair, maybe this is a good thing.

A lot of people still use laptops as desktops or always have them plugged in, so .....*shrug*

I do know that the more I've used my laptops on the go for a lot of heavy lifting the more likely my battery starts to get fat.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

I wonder if this is just temporary, or if it’s an intentional change.

I can’t see it being permanent, as you can disable it on iOS, I believe.

 

[mikethebigo]

Well, can't imagine anyone would argue with having to keep it on.

 

[SigurTom]

Someone will think a lawsuit is a good idea.

 

[tgwaste]

Is this talking about "Optimized Battery Charging"? Im able to disable that on my M1 Macair.
Click battery icon in menu bar -> battery preferences.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Well, can't imagine anyone would argue with having to keep it on.

You must have missed the lawsuits.

 

[lambertjohn]

I think it blows. I disabled that feature on my 2018 Air and manage my battery health myself--less cycles, better life. Again...less cycles, better life.

 

[jerryk]

Given the battery life of these systems, it is probably less of an issue.

But, knowing these forums I expect there will be complaining that they are only getting 18 hours instead of 20.

 

[jz0309]

Interesting, what’s the difference between an iOS device and the Mac with applesilicon from that perspective??

 

[Natzoo]

Given how many time I've had to send a fat, swollen laptop in for repair, maybe this is a good thing.

I thought so too however it means that full charge capacity is being weakened and you have no control over it. Just another apple 'feature' I guess where you cannot even control your battery. I don't want it to be artificially lowered, just limit full charging to 80%. Sometimes I am out for a whole day or days where I could use 100% of my battery.

 

[NT1440]

Why would you not want this on? It’s the same as the smart charge feature of iOS isn’t it?

 

[Natzoo]

knowing these forums I expect there will be complaining

I think the complaints are coming from the lack of control, think about it, you don't even control your own battery now. It is now a permanent rental device and while the battery life is great on the M1 chip, what about down the road where it's artificially limited to 75-80% charge capacity (on intel chips, the battery service would pop up and disappear once management was turned off).

 

[SuperCachetes]

No, it's about peak draw under load. The thing that throttles performance when your battery is aging.

No, it isn't. It has to do with charging vs. capacity, not processor draw or performance.

 

[rgbrock1]

Well, can't imagine anyone would argue with having to keep it on.

I'd argue it. The small utility called AlDente does a much better job at prolonging battery life by allowing the user to set a maximum charge percentage before battery charging stops. I set mine at 50% max and keep my 2020 13" MBP plugged in all the time. If I know I'll be on the go then a simple click to 100% and I'm good to go.

 

[Astralis56]

Does anybody know if this feature impacts performance on Mac laptop when connected to power or it is only when on battery?

 

[NT1440]

I think the complaints are coming from the lack of control, think about it, you don't even control your own battery now. It is now a permanent rental device and while the battery life is great on the M1 chip, what about down the road where it's artificially limited to 75-80% charge capacity (on intel chips, the battery service would pop up and disappear once management was turned off).

...so you just want the “control” of destroying your battery’s lifespan for reasons I suppose?

This results in a longer viable lifetime of the device before you have to shell out for a battery replacement service or replace the machine. I don’t understand how a site full of “planned obsolescence” posts complains about a longer lasting Mac at the same time.

 

[acidblood]

People don't get it. The complaint is not because one would want to disable the feature. It's because one should be free to decide whether to disable the feature or not.

It's your computer. You paid very, very handsomely for it. You're supposed to be able to do what you want to it.

Well, I guess lots of people here would be just delighted to be at the other end of a Darth Vader-style "I am altering the deal, pray I don't alter it any further" speech.

PS: I use the AlDente app, and I manage my battery infinitely better than any crappy machine-learning-AI mumbo-jumbo would ever be able to. So, I do disable it. I wouldn't recommend this to 99.99% of other Apple users, though.

 

[NT1440]

I'd argue it. The small utility called AlDente does a much better job at prolonging battery life by allowing the user to set a maximum charge percentage before battery charging stops. I set mine at 50% max and keep my 2020 13" MBP plugged in all the time. If I know I'll be on the go then a simple click to 100% and I'm good to go.

Congratulations, you’re a “power user” who has the technical know how to do basic upkeep on your computer.

Now about the other 98% of the population of Mac owners, why should they have to take these manual steps when Apple has automatically lengthened the lifespan of their device?

 

[acidblood]

...so you just want the “control” of destroying your battery’s lifespan for reasons I suppose?

This results in a longer viable lifetime of the device before you have to shell out for a battery replacement service or replace the machine. I don’t understand how a site full of “planned obsolescence” posts complains about a longer lasting Mac at the same time.

No, we want the control of doing a much better job using, e.g., the AlDente app.

And yeah, the computer is mine, if I wanted to destroy the battery lifespan, should I be restricted from doing so if that's my clear intent for some reason? If I would like to set fire to it or throw it out of a 100-story building, should I be restricted from doing so as well?

 

[stringParameter]

ThinkPads have had something like this for years and I always have mine max at 80% since most of the time it’s plugged in.

Apple is just doing an automated version of that, since they know people won’t know (or even be aware) about battery health. Personally I don’t see a problem with this.

 

[acidblood]

Congratulations, you’re a “power user” who has the technical know how to do basic upkeep on your computer.

Now about the other 98% of the population of Mac owners, why should they have to take these manual steps when Apple has automatically lengthened the lifespan of their device?

Nobody is asking Apple to disable the feature.

Just leave a checkbox there so the power users can disable it. The checkbox can be checked by default. Everybody gets it, and those who can do better are allowed to disable it. What's wrong with that?

 

[waveman]

I wonder if this is just temporary, or if it’s an intentional change.

I can’t see it being permanent, as you can disable it on iOS, I believe.

You will never see anything unintentional from Apple - they'll control our behavior as they please. In this case, they might be just gathering statistics about the new processor and how it performs along with the battery life etc. If they need it, they'll force as to comply one way or another. As always.

 

[StaceRumors]

I think it blows. I disabled that feature on my 2018 Air and manage my battery health myself--less cycles, better life. Again...less cycles, better life.

when someone reads a blog post and suddenly thinks they know more than the real engineers who designed the hardware.