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Apple's Battery Health Management Feature Cannot Be Disabled on Apple Silicon Macs
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Nothing wrong with the checkbox approach, I’d prefer it actually.
Its the moral outrage of these things in a world where corporations already control the world that makes me laugh. Apple can “legally” be one of the biggest tax cheats in history but it’s the battery conditioner feature that inspires the outrage of us forum dwellers.
What a world.
Because they all think they are better hardware/software engineers than any that work at Apple. I wish there was a program that allowed these people to build their own laptops with a live streaming feed so we could watch them blow up within the first 72 hours. Assuming, that is, they can keep them running for more than 15 minutes.
Or maybe a reality show where they each get their own personal UNIVAC to keep running to win a prize while losers get shot out of a cannon into the Sun. It’s a win/win either way and would be funny as hell.
Because it is my computer and I should be able to control it.
You have no idea what you’re talking about. I, unlike you, do — I’m an electrical engineer, I’ve designed Li-Ion battery-powered products, and I’ve read dozens of actual scientific papers, on peer-reviewed high-impact journals, about battery lifespan.
The Apple feature tries to predict when you’re going to need 100% battery charge, and time the charges that way. To maximize battery lifespan, the main thing it can do is keep it at a lower charge (e.g. 60% seems to be an ideal value) for as long as possible. Batteries degrade much much much faster when near 100% state of charge than when at 60% or even 80%.
I, unlike Apple, actually know when I’m going to need 100% charge. In my case, the answer is: never — OK, maybe once or twice a year, but this year I’ve yet to purposefully charge it beyond 60% (using the AlDente app to control the state of charge).
So, Apple may have the best and brightest engineers of the world. Maybe they can do the very best, state of the art machine-learning mumbo-jumbo (actually, from my experience it’s crap — optimized battery charging doesn’t work for me in the iPhone at all — but let’s pretend for a moment that it’s not crap). Unfortunately one thing that’s beyond Apple is predicting the future: i.e. when will you need 100% charge, so you can start charging it exactly X minutes before so the moment you unplug it, it’s at 100%. Since it can’t do that, those that care enough about managing their battery will always be able to do better. It’s simply impossible to argue with that.
As an American, I have a RIGHT to abuse my battery and make it degrade as fast as I want it too, NOBODY can tell me otherwise!
This is just another way "Big Silicone" is controlling our lives.
Next, we're all eating soilent green and back to playing Angry Birds.
Hey, it could happen.
Next, we're all eating soilent green and back to playing Angry Birds.
Hey, it could happen.
Which would not be needed if Apple allowed users to change the battery at will.
As another user shared, the option to turn it off is there under "Battery" for M1 Macbook's.
Just to clarify for everyone mentioning the "optimized charging" option...
That's unrelated, but also new to Big Sur.
Like how Apple tries to slowly charge your iPhone overnight (to prolong a battery's life), I recently noticed my MBP 2018 saying "not currently charging <blahblah optimized>" after plugging it in.
The original post is referencing slowing the processor as the battery ages.
This may be because Apple's unsure how the processor will age in the long term, but ultimately the backlight probably draws more power than the new ARM CPU...
So why not just reduce the maximum screen brightness instead? (Other than that would be a clearly visible downgrade, while reducing CPU performance is arguably more deceptive.)
The real goal is (like with my 2008 MBP) preventing the computer from suddenly drawing too much current and cutting off.
That's unrelated, but also new to Big Sur.
Like how Apple tries to slowly charge your iPhone overnight (to prolong a battery's life), I recently noticed my MBP 2018 saying "not currently charging <blahblah optimized>" after plugging it in.
The original post is referencing slowing the processor as the battery ages.
This may be because Apple's unsure how the processor will age in the long term, but ultimately the backlight probably draws more power than the new ARM CPU...
So why not just reduce the maximum screen brightness instead? (Other than that would be a clearly visible downgrade, while reducing CPU performance is arguably more deceptive.)
The real goal is (like with my 2008 MBP) preventing the computer from suddenly drawing too much current and cutting off.
It's not unrelated. It's basically the same with little differences.
Maybe on silicone Macs there is no need to reduce CPU performance since silicone Macs don't drain the battery like Intel Macs, but other than that it seems to by just a different wording.
Here is how apple describes this very feature (battery health management):
"The battery health management feature in macOS 10.15.5 is designed to improve your battery's lifespan by reducing the rate at which it chemically ages. The feature does this by monitoring your battery's temperature history and its charging patterns.
Based on the measurements that it collects, battery health management may reduce your battery's maximum charge when in this mode. This happens as needed to ensure that your battery charges to a level that's optimized for your usage—reducing wear on the battery, and slowing its chemical aging. Battery health management also uses the measurements to calculate when your battery needs service.
While battery health management benefits your battery's long-term lifespan, it can also reduce the amount of time your Mac runs on one battery charge when capacity limits are applied."
Difference is: health management may temporarily reduce battery capacity limits which optimized charging may or may not do. Didn't read anything regarding that point.
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You can disable it but after the next restart it is enabled again. At least on my MBP.
My Asus laptop has a service that Optimizes battery charging to a default of 80%. You can disable it entirely or select another option if you know it's going to be tied to the desk 24/7. Just give us options.
Great post! I don't have much knowledge on the matter other than 50% charge level is the most ideal charge state of a battery?
With that in mind, and given I also mainly use my laptop as a desktop via USB C monitor most of the time, I think I will download this AlDente app.
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but if I ask the app to maintain the Mac at 50% charge, does that mean all 4 of the battery cells inside are at 50%? Or does that mean 2 cells are 100% and the other 2 at 0%?
Thanks for your help
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