Power Adapter & Battery

[Super Real]

Hi, I'm an eternal beginner when it comes to computer and/or smart phone.
You might be sick of hearing this basic question, but please let me ask once again...

Whether at home or at work, I usually use my MBP like a desktop keeping it in the same place and keeping the MagSafe power adapter connected all the time.

Because I've heard that you can do so since a MBP automatically stops charging and using battery when fully charged and then starts only using the power adapter as power source.

However, I recently noticed there are some disagree and recommend to keep the battery level from 20% to 80% to keep it healthy and to extend its life.

I'm confused... please let me hear your opinions and thoughts.

Thank you in advance.

 

[JPack]

Li-ion battery health is negatively affected when it is kept at extreme states of charge. Keeping your battery topped up or completely drained is bad. There's not much room for "opinions" as it's a fact. That's why macOS Catalina has a feature to keep the battery around 90% if the battery is rarely used.

 

[Super Real]

Li-ion battery health is negatively affected when it is kept at extreme states of charge. Keeping your battery topped up or completely drained is bad. There's not much room for "opinions" as it's a fact. That's why macOS Catalina has a feature to keep the battery around 90% if the battery is rarely used.

Thank you very much for the reply.

There seems to be many "facts", the experts told me the method I wrote in the OP also used the word. To add, one of them told me most recent Macs actually keep it 97% or so when it shows 100% in menu bar. Still some insist that even 90% is too much and tell you not to let it go above 80%, though... This topic is really confusing.

Btw, my MBP currently has macOS Big Sur (ver 11.5), though, does it still keep the function which you mentioned about macOS Catalina ("has a feature to keep the battery around 90% if the battery is rarely used")?

 

[OSXphoto]

Get AlDente or similar app to keep your battery below 75 or 80%. That is what I do. Fact or not, you'll just need to go with your own idea of what is good.

 

[Super Real]

Get AlDente or similar app to keep your battery below 75 or 80%. That is what I do. Fact or not, you'll just need to go with your own idea of what is good.

Thank you for letting me know of the interesting app.
Yes, at this point I'd keep using my MBP plugged since no convincing-enough comments/articles to quit/change the method and there seems to be many bloggers in my home country (Japan) write that their nearby Apple Store say that it's ok to keep it connected and/or to charge it at any time because the lithium battery and Mac devices have evolved and improved.

I still don't know exactly what method is right or better, but if keeping a Mac laptop connected all the time is really bad, Apple would have officially said so... I just don't know that they have already said that...?

 

[Wild_Rose]

Get AlDente or similar app to keep your battery below 75 or 80%. That is what I do. Fact or not, you'll just need to go with your own idea of what is good.

I read about that and I'm gonna give it a try as well.
I mostly have my MBP 2017 docked but I do unplug it and use it on battery at least once per week.

Can anyone else recommend any other app for battery monitoring is AlDente ok?

thanks in advnace!

 

[Christopher Kim]

Here's my understanding, all anecdotal.

Pre-2016 Macbooks, there were virtually no issues leaving laptop plugged in 24/7. Numerous cases where battery health still showed 95%+ after many years of use plugged in and battery cycles well into the mid-hundreds (eg. 400-600)

Starting with 2016 MBP re-design, there seem to be many more anecdotal complaints for laptop users that would stay plugged in constantly and have significantly reduced battery health (into the 80's%), after just a year or two, without very high cycle count (eg. still in the 100s/200s). Especially during the last 18mos of work-from-home environment where many were using their laptops as their full-time work machines and plugged in 24/7.

Maybe there was a change in battery technology, supplier, etc. that made the newer batteries more susceptible for degraded health when always plugged in, than pre-2016 generation. Maybe it's all anecdotal and just within the margin of error of who posts online. Don't think anyone knows for sure, and Apple isn't saying anything definitely.

Either way, given it's easy for me to do, I unplug my 2016 13" MBP when I finish working (after having it plugged in all-day and working on external monitor), leave unplugged overnight, and only plug in again when I'm using it. This is so easy for me to do in my daily routine, I don't mind if it is completely unnecessary and doesn't help at all. It can't hurt!

 

[Wild_Rose]

I do the same thing - always unplug it when I'm done.