All iPads Why "Charge to 80%" limited to certain iPads?

[msackey]

I upgraded to an iPad Pro 11" M4 chip recently and noticed that is has the "Charge to 80%" setting. My husband has the previous generation iPad Pro 13" with the M2 chip and his doesn't have the "Charge to 80%".

Is there an actual technical reason why that option isn't enabled for older iPads? It would seem to me that all these various battery charging options -- Charge to 80%, Charge to 75%, Optimised Charging -- are all really not chip dependent, no? Why is Apple limiting these battery charge functions?

 

[rappr]

Apple did the same thing when they added these capabilities to the iPhone and Mac. No one has been able to discern a technical reason (maybe specific firmware related to charging?), but I view it as one of those tiny little pushes to upgrade that Apple does over time.

 

[msackey]

Yeah, I had wondered if this were just a way for Apple to keep certain features available only for certain products -- a very artificial divide.

It doesn't make too much sense that my partner's iPad Pro 13" from last year doesn't have that function. He would love to use it and instead currently manually manages the charge by plugging and unplugging when necessary. Meanwhile, I can keep mine fully plugged in and not worry that it will charge beyond around 80%.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Seems to me it's more of a PITA to manage the code for this, than to just enable it for all.

That's what makes me think, there must be a hardware reason. But ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[adamlbiscuit]

I think it may be something to do with the fact that on older iPads, they tend to already have had some level of battery degradation, so they probably thought it wasn't worth the effort to bring it to old(er) iPads, even those one generation prior.

Therefore, only new iPads introduced from the point this feature was implemented are the ones to get it.

You could argue iPads with a degree of battery degradation are the ones that need it most, and I would agree. However, there may be a technical reason why this feature is most useful for new devices, or why it can't be brought down to older generations.

 

[JPack]

I think it may be something to do with the fact that on older iPads, they tend to already have had some level of battery degradation, so they probably thought it wasn't worth the effort to bring it to old(er) iPads, even those one generation prior.

Therefore, only new iPads introduced from the point this feature was implemented are the ones to get it.

You could argue iPads with a degree of battery degradation are the ones that need it most, and I would agree. However, there may be a technical reason why this feature is most useful for new devices, or why it can't be brought down to older generations.

Nah, that assumes Apple doesn’t offer battery replacement service and Apple doesn’t sell refurbished iPad Air/Pro with a fresh battery and chassis.

Besides, we already know a key called DeviceSupports80ChargeLimit controls this function. Simply flip this key on jailbroken devices and suddenly, most older devices support the 80% limit. The feature works well without issue.

 

[msackey]

Besides, we already know a key called DeviceSupports80ChargeLimit controls this function. Simply flip this key on jailbroken devices and suddenly, most older devices support the 80% limit. The feature works well without issue.

Fascinating. Did not know about this for jailbroken devices.

 

[Pezimak]

I have a question about this, is this 80% charge limit worth turning on? I have switched it on now but I am not sure if the trade off in battery life when using the iPad is worth it?

 

[FeliApple]

I have a question about this, is this 80% charge limit worth turning on? I have switched it on now but I am not sure if the trade off in battery life when using the iPad is worth it?

I think that the issue is that you’d be permanently losing 20% capacity to maintain a number… and its result isn’t even guaranteed. Many have used the limit and haven’t obtained any outstanding results.

The other issue is whether it even matters for you specifically. Do you have enough battery life with 80%? Do you keep devices for a long time? Do you update iOS? Are you a heavy user in terms of cycles? If the answer is yes to all, then maybe it’s worth it, I don’t know.

I’ve never used any kind of limit, and I keep devices for a long time. I’ve found that battery life doesn’t really decrease for me, regardless of health, so I’ll never use it. But I don’t update iOS so health isn’t really relevant for me.

There is no right answer, and these are just some of the things I’d consider.

 

[Pezimak]

I think that the issue is that you’d be permanently losing 20% capacity to maintain a number… and its result isn’t even guaranteed. Many have used the limit and haven’t found any outstanding results.

The other issue is whether it even matters for you specifically. Do you have enough battery life with 80%? Do you keep devices for a long time? Do you update iOS? Are you a heavy user in terms of cycles? If the answer is yes to all, then maybe it’s worth it, I don’t know.

I’ve never used any kind of limit, and I keep devices for a long time. I’ve found that battery life doesn’t really decrease for me, regardless of health, so I’ll never use it. But I don’t update iOS so health isn’t really relevant for me.

There is no right answer, and these are just some of the things I’d consider.

Hmm, well I will use it every evening, and intimidate iOS. But I think I'd rather have the battery life so I may turn it off. Thanks for the reply very useful actually.

 

[rui no onna]

I have a question about this, is this 80% charge limit worth turning on? I have switched it on now but I am not sure if the trade off in battery life when using the iPad is worth it?

Depends on usage.

I usually have my M1 12.9” docked and plugged in for days or weeks on end. I would enable the 80% charge limit on that if that option had been available. I’m already doing something similar by way of smart plugs and shortcuts.

On my EDC iPad mini that I use on the go, nope.

 

[Pezimak]

Depends on usage.

I usually have my M1 12.9” docked and plugged in for days or weeks on end. I would enable the 80% charge limit on that if that option had been available. I’m already doing something similar by way of smart plugs and shortcuts.

On my EDC iPad mini that I use on the go, nope.

Interesting. I move my iPad around a lot all day so it's not really plugged in till the evening.

 

[rui no onna]

Interesting. I move my iPad around a lot all day so it's not really plugged in till the evening.

Multiple iPads. The mini and 11”, I carry around a lot. The 13”, I rarely use at home or on the go as it’s too heavy/bulky.

 

[glenncashuric]

I believe my 15PM and Ultra 2 (97% after 15 months and 100% after 19 months, respectively) have benefit(t)ed from the 80% limitation. But I always stipulate that YMMV.

 

[Dennis Jay]

Some newer models have updated battery management systems that include advanced charging algorithms.

 

[msackey]

Some newer models have updated battery management systems that include advanced charging algorithms.

Understandable. However, wouldn't that be on the software side and so presumably older models can be updated. Or, is there something hardware related like a chip or some such?

 

[citivolus]

Understandable. However, wouldn't that be on the software side and so presumably older models can be updated. Or, is there something hardware related like a chip or some such?

No one but Apple knows for sure, but based on the fact that apps exist implementing this capability for the Mac (e.g. Al Dente), it seems extremely likely that it is software on the iPad which Apple is deliberately holding back for the latest models only.

 

[Isamilis]

I have a question about this, is this 80% charge limit worth turning on? I have switched it on now but I am not sure if the trade off in battery life when using the iPad is worth it?

My iPad mini has very good battery life (> 100% since Nov last year). I turn on this setting since day 1. I forgot to unplug from charger few times anyway.