I didn't say that discharging down to 97% counted as using the battery, but more asking if that is what actually happens out of curiosity. Eh, I get what you mean, although I would just rather have an 87% battery with 339 cycles than an 80% battery with 1000 cycles at the same point in time after my purchase? Why do I need to reach 1000 cycles; is there a particular reason I should be aiming for that? I mean at the end of the day I am trying to get the longest period of time/years out of this laptop before I have to replace it regardless of cycles or battery life. It lasts about 6 hours off the charger with light use atm, would it last longer if it had more cycles?
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Coming up to 1000 Cycle
- Thread starter DjWindows98
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I didn't say that discharging down to 97% counted as using the battery, but more asking if that is what actually happens out of curiosity. Eh, I get what you mean, although I would just rather have an 87% battery with 339 cycles than an 80% battery with 1000 cycles at the same point in time after my purchase? Why do I need to reach 1000 cycles; is there a particular reason I should be aiming for that? I mean at the end of the day I am trying to get the longest period of time/years out of this laptop before I have to replace it regardless of cycles or battery life. It lasts about 6 hours off the charger with light use atm, would it last longer if it had more cycles?
But think about it. You paid for a battery to last 80% after 1000 cycles. If you are at 87% after 339 cycles, you have literally thrown money away. You did not get the usage of the device that you paid for. At the current health deterioration rate, you would only get 521 cycles at 80%. Meaning you lost half the usage of the battery.
I'm at 1,212 cycles at 85% on my 2012 MacBook Air. This computer is now 5 years old. I have almost 4 times the battery usage as 339 at 87%, with almost the same amount of health. At my current rate, I will get about 1800 cycles before it drops below 80%, or almost 2x what its rated for. The only thing I do is make sure I use the battery and not let it drop below 10%. Clearly that has worked well.
Hello everyone,
I am coming up to 1000 cycles on my 2015 MacBook Pro (my first MacBook) and I just need some advice regarding this.
Since I have had this, I have just charged it to 100% then let it get down to 5% then I would re-charge again, have I been stupid doing this, could I have left it plugged in on charge most of the day? I am now having to charge it a couple of times a day because the battery doesn't last as long, I have been advised to stop using Google Chrome as it drains the battery apparently so I am sticking to Safari.
I don't really over run it, I use Safari (Chrome before), VLC media play and Microsoft Word mostly, the screen brightness is down and I don't use the back light that often.
How is my battery doing?
Could I be doing any thing else to get the most out of the battery?
Any help or advice would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Yes you did the wrong thing
Used up battery cycles unnecessarily
Simple battery/gadget rules:
1. Plug in when you can
2. On battery when necessary
3. Avoid extreme environments
4. Stop worrying about it
Apple advice here:
https://www.apple.com/ca/batteries/maximizing-performance/
Apple used to recommend cycling once a month. But no longer does.
OP, FruitJuice app
http://fruitjuiceapp.com/
Know it, love it, use it
(I am not affiliated with this app or the developers)
http://fruitjuiceapp.com/
Know it, love it, use it
(I am not affiliated with this app or the developers)
That's actually really cool. That should be an app for everyone to install. Get the most out of your battery. Thanks for posting.
I used to use it on my 2013 13” mbp and handed it, at 2 years old, to my gf in late 2015 at 98% health, used daily, often heavily (VMs on and off power). Just do what it says most of the time, as circumstances allow, and it will help you keep your battery in top shape. Responsive support too, the one time I had a question.
In my experience this works the best:
- It's not an issue to keep the machine plugged in for some time, it can't overcharge. However, using it like this 24/7/365 is really bad for the battery. Just find the right balance, use it regularly but don't over use like OP did.
- Don't let it discharge below 15%.
- Just use it when needed, it's also not bad to re-charge it if it is not completely discharged.
- If Apple made it possible, I would set a charge maximum at around 70-80%.
In short: don't leave it plugged in ALL the time and don't use the battery ALL the time. Honestly, I am not too occupied with maintaining the battery. Just these few basic principles but I don't schedule battery use, that's a bit silly IMO...
- It's not an issue to keep the machine plugged in for some time, it can't overcharge. However, using it like this 24/7/365 is really bad for the battery. Just find the right balance, use it regularly but don't over use like OP did.
- Don't let it discharge below 15%.
- Just use it when needed, it's also not bad to re-charge it if it is not completely discharged.
- If Apple made it possible, I would set a charge maximum at around 70-80%.
In short: don't leave it plugged in ALL the time and don't use the battery ALL the time. Honestly, I am not too occupied with maintaining the battery. Just these few basic principles but I don't schedule battery use, that's a bit silly IMO...
This is a really good thread with great advice. I can see what I am doing wrong for sure. I installed a new battery in my MBP a year ago. I have been hoping for better results though. My machine stays plugged in and charging 98% of the time. I am kind of anal about keeping it plugged in even at the Starbucks, etc. It's almost exactly one year since install and I am at 142 cycles! I lose about 1% of battery every 2.5 minutes. I like to keep things turned on and need to for what I generally like to do - surf, listen to BT headphones, play music. I think I will try the 50% thing but I am not sure of that helps battery life or length of battery use? Either way, I will try it.
