Apple is set to change how MacBook laptops charge in the next update to macOS Catalina. The change is aimed at maintaining battery health and
The feature – called Battery Health Management – is in beta, but will launch as part of the macOS 15.5 update which is due to land soon. Apple has published full details in a very helpful guide. And you will be able to turn it off should you so wish.
Basically, the new feature will ensure your Mac doesn’t charge up to its maximum battery capacity in many cases – but that’s not to say you won’t see the battery as being ‘fully charged’ in the macOS menu bar.
In case you didn’t know, constantly charging your battery to 100 percent will age it prematurely – it’s one of the many reasons why we need a revolution in batteries.
The new feature will charge your battery to the capacity it should be at to ensure the maximum lifespan. And it won’t treat all Macs the same – it’ll depend on your previous history.
If you use your laptop plugged in most of the time, the feature will probably be useful on your Mac. Other factors such as temperature and even how demanding your needs are will play into it. For example, if you take your laptop on the move but constantly do resource-hungry stuff like video editing, it’ll treat your Mac differently than if you leave it plugged in but perform undemanding tasks.
The feature needs Thunderbolt 3 to work – presumably because of the recording of previous charging data – so it’ll apply to MacBook Pros made from 2016 on and the redesigned MacBook Air lineup first introduced in 2018.
Original source: https://www.pocket-lint.com/laptops/news/apple/151868-apple-is-changing-how-macbooks-charge-to-extend-battery-life
