What to do if a macbook air M2 shows 90% battery health after just and just 13 months and 189 cycles. Usage mostly includes light tasks and it's often plugged in. Is it normal? Could staying plugged in most of the time be a factor?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Battery at 90% after 13 mo
- Thread starter Milliee
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I think 90% health after just over a year is roughly normal, but for your uses it feels a little too low
90% capacity after the first year is a worse capacity drop than normal but I've seen a few other users report similar. Hopefully your second year will stabilize.
As for charging practices...
Staying plugged in supposedly isn't too bad, but frequent off/on top-offs back to 100% after light use unplugged is rumored to be the second worst thing you can do to a battery (with a full discharge the absolute worst).
If/when you take it off the charger I would suggest leaving it unplugged until normal use brings it down to <60% before putting it back on (unless you know you will need a full charge the next day).
As for charging practices...
Staying plugged in supposedly isn't too bad, but frequent off/on top-offs back to 100% after light use unplugged is rumored to be the second worst thing you can do to a battery (with a full discharge the absolute worst).
If/when you take it off the charger I would suggest leaving it unplugged until normal use brings it down to <60% before putting it back on (unless you know you will need a full charge the next day).
Well you can take my opinion or not, but it is rather and unpopular one though I’ve tested it on DOZEN of Apple devices, not just my main MBA M1 (2020) which I purchased in the summer 2022.
First things first, heat is destroying batteries. Slowly but steadily. As I noticed, new Macbooks with passive cooling barely heat at most tasks, and it is better to keep it that way or else there is even a risk to get pillowed battery and basically destroyed laptop.
Secondly, no. In my opinion it is NOT normal to have Macbooks constantly plugged in, especially given that the stock battery life is more than 20 hours (mine 16 hehe, now close to 15 maybe but still good).
Macbook is a portable device that has a battery, so you need to push every single volt out of it! (I drain it old-school until it is 5-10% battery, rarely drain it full). People who buy sportcars don’t buy them to move 20 km/h around their village. They often love to flex the sound of V6 or V8 so that whole neiborhood will hear and scream at them🤣
Thirdly, THE WORST (in my opinion, again) thing you can do to your Mac laptop is using it while it is charging.
Apple still done nothing to prevent heating during charging while using device. And it is across all their devices - iPads, iPhones and MacBooks. It is physics and you can’t really fool it, maybe buying a thermal pad but honestly it is not worth it. In fact, when you use your Macbook while it is charging you basically cooking the battery on low heat, it is very detrimental to battery life and this is basically how I destroyed my iPad battery back in the days.
The best strategy is to drain the battery to low state (10% ideally) and then shut down the laptop thru finder (don’t put to sleep or just close the lid!! This is not enough) and then plug the charger.
New Macbooks don’t feature the charging dial on their body (it was green back in the days when battery full), so how would you know Mac is charged? Quite simple: touch the charging brick and if it is no longer warm and ideally cool - battery is 100%.
So why is this so detrimental?
Well, default Macbook charging brick is 60W. It is a lot of power and it will charge Mac fast enough, around 2-3 hours and battery is usually full. Thus this generates lots of heat.
My Mac is 3 years old already and right now at 91%. From the day one I used the method I described.
OTHER GOOD TIPS:
- use only original charger from Apple. The one that came in your box. Or buy from Apple if you have no charger. This ensures steady and good charging. While charging is technically “just power hehe, watts and volts”, not so easy nowadays: new Apple devices feature lots of under-the-hood tech to prevent drain and overcharge and off market and not Apple-approved stuff can f with it. So while buying a 2000$ computer or 1000$ iDevice it is better not to cheap out on chargers;
- try not to use Macbook in overly hot environment. The cooler the place the better. Think of it as if it was a living creature: I guess you won’t go without a cap for a walk at midday during a 32+ Celsius heat, and Macbook in that sense is even much more “cold blooded”;
- What to do if you need your Mac but it is drained?? Well if you can afford, charge it and use but unplug as soon as you get 25-30% charged and then use it, it will be enough for you to finish your job and at the same time not to damage battery.
Side notes: all modern EVs have coolers that constantly cool the batteries, especially during charging. Because charging is usually done at super high powered stations. Same for electric power supplies like Bluetti or Jackery - when they are charged at 800W+ they use cooling fans. My Bluetti even had this thing written in manual that one should use only slow charging (800W instead of standard 1600 or supercharging at 2200) to prolong battery life.
I hope that helps!
My experiences (which completely contradict @uacd):
MacBook M1 Air.
In daily use since March '22. (usually between 3 to 8 hours daily)
331 cycles, 94% Health.
Optimzed Charging switched on.
Mostly (>90%) used while connected to power.
When not in use, it is sleeping and also connected to power.
MacBook M1 Air.
In daily use since March '22. (usually between 3 to 8 hours daily)
331 cycles, 94% Health.
Optimzed Charging switched on.
Mostly (>90%) used while connected to power.
When not in use, it is sleeping and also connected to power.
Last edited:
I see. Thank you for your suggestions. where did you see other people reporting this issue. Don't you think asking them what happened next would be beneficial
Thabks! another question 😬 If battery health’s on and it stays cool with light use, is keeping it plugged in or using it while charging really that bad?Well you can take my opinion or not, but it is rather and unpopular one though I’ve tested it on DOZEN of Apple devices, not just my main MBA M1 (2020) which I purchased in the summer 2022.
First things first, heat is destroying batteries. Slowly but steadily. As I noticed, new Macbooks with passive cooling barely heat at most tasks, and it is better to keep it that way or else there is even a risk to get pillowed battery and basically destroyed laptop.
Secondly, no. In my opinion it is NOT normal to have Macbooks constantly plugged in, especially given that the stock battery life is more than 20 hours (mine 16 hehe, now close to 15 maybe but still good).
Macbook is a portable device that has a battery, so you need to push every single volt out of it! (I drain it old-school until it is 5-10% battery, rarely drain it full). People who buy sportcars don’t buy them to move 20 km/h around their village. They often love to flex the sound of V6 or V8 so that whole neiborhood will hear and scream at them🤣
Thirdly, THE WORST (in my opinion, again) thing you can do to your Mac laptop is using it while it is charging.
Apple still done nothing to prevent heating during charging while using device. And it is across all their devices - iPads, iPhones and MacBooks. It is physics and you can’t really fool it, maybe buying a thermal pad but honestly it is not worth it. In fact, when you use your Macbook while it is charging you basically cooking the battery on low heat, it is very detrimental to battery life and this is basically how I destroyed my iPad battery back in the days.
The best strategy is to drain the battery to low state (10% ideally) and then shut down the laptop thru finder (don’t put to sleep or just close the lid!! This is not enough) and then plug the charger.
New Macbooks don’t feature the charging dial on their body (it was green back in the days when battery full), so how would you know Mac is charged? Quite simple: touch the charging brick and if it is no longer warm and ideally cool - battery is 100%.
So why is this so detrimental?
Well, default Macbook charging brick is 60W. It is a lot of power and it will charge Mac fast enough, around 2-3 hours and battery is usually full. Thus this generates lots of heat.
My Mac is 3 years old already and right now at 91%. From the day one I used the method I described.
OTHER GOOD TIPS:
- use only original charger from Apple. The one that came in your box. Or buy from Apple if you have no charger. This ensures steady and good charging. While charging is technically “just power hehe, watts and volts”, not so easy nowadays: new Apple devices feature lots of under-the-hood tech to prevent drain and overcharge and off market and not Apple-approved stuff can f with it. So while buying a 2000$ computer or 1000$ iDevice it is better not to cheap out on chargers;
- try not to use Macbook in overly hot environment. The cooler the place the better. Think of it as if it was a living creature: I guess you won’t go without a cap for a walk at midday during a 32+ Celsius heat, and Macbook in that sense is even much more “cold blooded”;
- What to do if you need your Mac but it is drained?? Well if you can afford, charge it and use but unplug as soon as you get 25-30% charged and then use it, it will be enough for you to finish your job and at the same time not to damage battery.
Side notes: all modern EVs have coolers that constantly cool the batteries, especially during charging. Because charging is usually done at super high powered stations. Same for electric power supplies like Bluetti or Jackery - when they are charged at 800W+ they use cooling fans. My Bluetti even had this thing written in manual that one should use only slow charging (800W instead of standard 1600 or supercharging at 2200) to prolong battery life.
I hope that helps!
I'd say that's on the low side. My M1 Pro from 2021 is on 94% and 214 cycles. But of course the decay is not necessarily linear, so you might not lose another 10% in another 13 months.
Make sure you have Optimize Charging turned on. Try to use it a bit more off-battery. Anecdotal evidence suggests that devices plugged in all the time end up with lower capacity than those used un-plugged more.
I'm not sure I agree with some of the suggestions in other posts here. However, there is evidence to support avoiding extremes -- 0% and 100% -- for too often and too long.
But ultimately, you should use the laptop as you need to: not tailor your usage to the needs of the battery.
Apple will offer you a battery repair if/when it hits either 80% capacity or 1000 cycles. (There is a fee, of course.)
Where: MacRummors, discussions.apple, and similar tech forums. Reports feel rare with months between complaints. The absolute worst I ever saw claimed 85% at 166 cycles. https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ry-health-at-85-with-only-166-cycles.2446440/
Why not ask for more info?
First I have low personally investment. My M1 Pro is still at 98% capacity after 18 months. Granted, the Pro has a fan and I have extremely light use, only 61 cycles so far, but so far my system seems to be working. At this rate I'll still have 94% capacity at 189 cycles and still be at 80% capacity when I'm ready to replace the laptop in 6 years.
Second, I'd rather ask trusted repair providers or tech researches who have seen a larger sample size. https://www.ifixit.com/News/31716/how-to-care-for-your-laptops-battery-so-it-lasts-longer
That is so true.
Batteries are a "organic" thing. no battery behaves exactly like the next one. Sometimes you get extremely lucky, sometimes not so much.
Just use as you need and forget about it. If it is no longer suiting YOUR NEEDS, then replace the battery.
Do not sweat over some theoretical percentage. It is not worth it.
For example:
- i have an 2008 iPhone 3G. For a decade now, I use it as an alarm clock. it is in airplane mode and always on. Battery lasts longer than A WEEK.
- I have an 2017 Apple Watch Series 3, that - after daily use and nightly charging - finally in September 2024 dropped from 100% health to 99%.
- I have an 2016 iPhone SE 1, that is not able to hold any battery power at all. You load, you let it sit one night, down to 0%. Battery tab still says 81% health.
- I have a 2013 MacBook Air in my office, that is still holding 4 hours of charge. Which is absolutely sufficient for my use case.
- I already described my M1 Macbook Air, which clearly shows that having it on constant power was not a problem for it.
So again - my personal advice:
Do not sweat over some theoretical percentage.
Just use as you need and forget about it. If really necessary, then replace the battery.
EDIT:
Excellent article. Trust the experts, not some random guy on reddit.
Last edited:
Definitely no one wants that. Can i use it while charger is plugged in? is it harmful for battery or no?
I think it's for Apple only. So you kept that one mostly plugged in too and it didn’t seem to affect battery health much?
Yes. I don't think anyone will try to stop you from doing so.
Didn't see it mentioned, but if it's mostly plugged in, you might want to consider installing AlDente app to prevent the battery from getting charged to and staying charged at 100% all the time.
Keeping your MacBook’s battery at 100% all the time can wear it out faster. AlDente helps you set smart charging limits, reduce overheating, and keep your battery in good shape for longer — so you get the most out of your device.”
If you're worried about battery heat, you can buy the Pro version ($24.99) for the Heat Protection feature
Charging your battery while its temperature is high results in faster battery degradation. With Heat Protection enabled, charging will automatically stop when your battery temperature is too high.
My M1 MBA is just a couple of weeks short of 4 years old and battery health is @ 93%. It basically lives on my sofa and gets used everyday mostly for internet surfing. I try to only charge it to ~80% and not let it get below ~30%. It never is plugged in except when charging it up.
Who is telling you to worry about this?
Seems like this is your opinion on how you want it to work. I was told plugging it in at all times actually saves battery. Mine has always been plugged in since January and battery is still 100%.Well you can take my opinion or not, but it is rather and unpopular one though I’ve tested it on DOZEN of Apple devices, not just my main MBA M1 (2020) which I purchased in the summer 2022.
First things first, heat is destroying batteries. Slowly but steadily. As I noticed, new Macbooks with passive cooling barely heat at most tasks, and it is better to keep it that way or else there is even a risk to get pillowed battery and basically destroyed laptop.
Secondly, no. In my opinion it is NOT normal to have Macbooks constantly plugged in, especially given that the stock battery life is more than 20 hours (mine 16 hehe, now close to 15 maybe but still good).
Macbook is a portable device that has a battery, so you need to push every single volt out of it! (I drain it old-school until it is 5-10% battery, rarely drain it full). People who buy sportcars don’t buy them to move 20 km/h around their village. They often love to flex the sound of V6 or V8 so that whole neiborhood will hear and scream at them🤣
Thirdly, THE WORST (in my opinion, again) thing you can do to your Mac laptop is using it while it is charging.
Apple still done nothing to prevent heating during charging while using device. And it is across all their devices - iPads, iPhones and MacBooks. It is physics and you can’t really fool it, maybe buying a thermal pad but honestly it is not worth it. In fact, when you use your Macbook while it is charging you basically cooking the battery on low heat, it is very detrimental to battery life and this is basically how I destroyed my iPad battery back in the days.
The best strategy is to drain the battery to low state (10% ideally) and then shut down the laptop thru finder (don’t put to sleep or just close the lid!! This is not enough) and then plug the charger.
New Macbooks don’t feature the charging dial on their body (it was green back in the days when battery full), so how would you know Mac is charged? Quite simple: touch the charging brick and if it is no longer warm and ideally cool - battery is 100%.
So why is this so detrimental?
Well, default Macbook charging brick is 60W. It is a lot of power and it will charge Mac fast enough, around 2-3 hours and battery is usually full. Thus this generates lots of heat.
My Mac is 3 years old already and right now at 91%. From the day one I used the method I described.
OTHER GOOD TIPS:
- use only original charger from Apple. The one that came in your box. Or buy from Apple if you have no charger. This ensures steady and good charging. While charging is technically “just power hehe, watts and volts”, not so easy nowadays: new Apple devices feature lots of under-the-hood tech to prevent drain and overcharge and off market and not Apple-approved stuff can f with it. So while buying a 2000$ computer or 1000$ iDevice it is better not to cheap out on chargers;
- try not to use Macbook in overly hot environment. The cooler the place the better. Think of it as if it was a living creature: I guess you won’t go without a cap for a walk at midday during a 32+ Celsius heat, and Macbook in that sense is even much more “cold blooded”;
- What to do if you need your Mac but it is drained?? Well if you can afford, charge it and use but unplug as soon as you get 25-30% charged and then use it, it will be enough for you to finish your job and at the same time not to damage battery.
Side notes: all modern EVs have coolers that constantly cool the batteries, especially during charging. Because charging is usually done at super high powered stations. Same for electric power supplies like Bluetti or Jackery - when they are charged at 800W+ they use cooling fans. My Bluetti even had this thing written in manual that one should use only slow charging (800W instead of standard 1600 or supercharging at 2200) to prolong battery life.
I hope that helps!
My thought exactly. The battery is a consumable part. Ignore the "health" metric and charge it when you need to. And a few years down the road when a 100% battery charge isn't getting you as much time as you want, you get it replaced by Apple for $159.
Or, follow the advice of people who make battery management into a kind of hobby. Start a spreadsheet to log your battery temperatures. Maybe you can find a pattern that will let you eke out another few percentage points of "battery health". Baby your laptop like a sick toddler. Lay a cool rag on it to keep the temperature down when you have to plug it in. Run home from dinner in a blind panic because you left it charging. What was I thinking?? you ask yourself. But all that hard work will all be worth it when you hit year three and your battery is still at 85%.
Last edited:
People worry more about their device's battery health than they do their own physical health! LOL.
When everything is said and done, your battery won't last forever no matter what you do. Just use your device however is most convenient for you. Always plugged in, not plugged in, whatever. Worst case scenario is you might have to replace the battery some day.
When everything is said and done, your battery won't last forever no matter what you do. Just use your device however is most convenient for you. Always plugged in, not plugged in, whatever. Worst case scenario is you might have to replace the battery some day.
In my opinion there is no need to charge a charged enough battery. Battery cells need to be put at some work. So you drain battery, charge while Macbook turned off, the use, drain and repeat
Indeed, totally my opinion and I understand when people disagree with it.
I mean, if I wanted to have a plugged in device I would have bought Mac Mini or iMac. A MacBook has battery so it must work! Even if it is detrimental (not sure), I bought the device for portability.
After all, iPads are iPhones are rarely used while plugged, unless their batteries are already bad
Laptop batteries are like tires on a car. They are a consumable. Use 'em up and replace them from time to time. If you're stressing, try the Al Dente app to see if it makes a difference - I use it, I'm not sure it does all that much but worth a shot. Just remember to top off when you're going to be away from an outlet for a while.
Lastly, I get that paying Apple $159 for a new battery isn't chump change but it doesn't break the bank either.
Lastly, I get that paying Apple $159 for a new battery isn't chump change but it doesn't break the bank either.
The more you cycle it the faster it will wear out.
It isn't charging every time it is plugged in, it isn't a phone.
I have had numerous swollen batteries in past MacBooks from keeping them plugged in all the time.
MacOs battery management has gotten much better.
Still, I have been using ALDENTE to manage my new M4 MBP MAX and it is doing a great job.
Suggest you check out the reviews.
I have owned it for 7 months and am still at 100% life and only 15 cycles. I keep it in SAILING mode at 50%. I charge to 100% if I am expecting to need max battery.
I run plugged in most of the time but ALDENTE manages heat and controls charging.
MacOs battery management has gotten much better.
Still, I have been using ALDENTE to manage my new M4 MBP MAX and it is doing a great job.
Suggest you check out the reviews.
I have owned it for 7 months and am still at 100% life and only 15 cycles. I keep it in SAILING mode at 50%. I charge to 100% if I am expecting to need max battery.
I run plugged in most of the time but ALDENTE manages heat and controls charging.
This definitely isn't direct answer for your original post, but I wanted to chip in with others saying "don't worry about it".
Two reasons for this:
1. Today's laptops can be charged with USB-C (Thunderbolt) so you can always have extra batteries if it degrades.
2. You can replace the battery relatively easily when it runs out.
Two reasons for this:
1. Today's laptops can be charged with USB-C (Thunderbolt) so you can always have extra batteries if it degrades.
2. You can replace the battery relatively easily when it runs out.
Apple has a setting to do this called "Optimized Battery Charging".