Batteries are not magic. They are chemicals. And, like most things built by humans, they deteriorate over time. I don’t need to tell you this—anyone who’s owned a MacBook knows that battery life it gets worse and worse as it ages. But what if I told you it is possible to reduce the process?
One common tip is to only charge your devices up to 80 percent most of the time. Battery Universitysponsored by a consulting organization that helps big companies get more from batteries, recommends this based on its research. Likewise with National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
But how do you follow this advice? The good news is that your MacBook already does this, sort of, and there’s a great free app that lets you go even further.
Built-in Optimization
Your Mac is designed to charge only up to 80 percent—at least, under certain conditions. By default, Mac devices learn your charging and usage patterns and speed up your battery accordingly. According to Apple“Your Mac delays charging beyond 80 percent when it predicts you’ll be plugged in for a long time, and aims to fully charge the battery before unplugging it.”
What does this mean? Well, for example, if you’re looking to charge your laptop right away, your Mac will charge up to 80 percent, then wait until morning to add the last 20 percent. The idea is to reduce the time it takes for the battery to fully charge in a way that you won’t even notice.
The good thing about this feature is that you don’t need to do anything to check the health of your battery. Your Mac is already doing what it can only charge up to 80 percent whenever your routine suggests it won’t affect you.
(This feature is actually a macOS setting that is turned on by default. You can find it Settings > Battery > Battery Healthwhere you can disable this protection setting, although you should read on to find out if that’s better.)
If you don’t want to think about how your battery is charged, stop reading. If you want more control, though, I have some advice.
Take Control With Free Software
There are a few potential issues with Apple’s approach. The first is that you have no control. You might, for example, discover your MacBook isn’t fully charged if you wake up earlier than usual to catch a flight, and then you’re stuck with a low charge for a long day of travel.
For me, though, the biggest issue is that my day-to-day battery usage is very unusual. I do most of my work at my desk, where my computer is plugged into my monitor, which also charges it. I like to move around my space all day, though, which means I’m unplugging every now and then. And sometimes I put my laptop in my bag and work in the library or coffee shop. It would be nice to be able to make sure I’m fully charged when I do that.
You get the idea: Not everyone’s routines are predictable. If this sounds familiar, and you want to take direct control of charging your MacBook, I recommend a free and open source program called Battery.
This app lives in your menu bar and forces your laptop to charge only up to 80 percent. You can allow full payment at any time, though, by clicking the menu bar icon.
This will require a little planning and attention on your part. You’ll have to remember to turn on full charge before you need it, and then turn on the limit when you know you won’t need it.
But for someone like me, who mostly uses the MacBook at his desk, it feels like a way to make sure my battery stays healthy for as long as possible.
