Optimised Battery Charging not working on my Mac M1 after almost 2 years, any suggestions?

david_lo wrote:

Hi everyone, I've been using my Mac M1 for almost 2 years now and I've noticed that Optimised Battery Charging has never kicked in. I know there is a lot of people facing the similar issue and I have tried many tips I could find on the internet but it never worked. Any suggestions what might cause this? (I am running the latest version of macOS)

Exactly which Mac M1 is in question ?

Batteries are considered Consumable Products. Over time it will degrade to a point where it needs to be replaced. The usage is normal as the capacity will go up and down all the time and never stay always at 100%. Apple Batteries are rated for 1000 Full Battery Cycles and / or 80% Capacity before needing Evaluation or replacement.

For additional reading on Battery and Apple Computers this link may help. About battery health management in Mac notebooks and especially for the M1 / M2 and Big Sur  & Monterey  and Ventura If battery charging is paused or on hold on your Mac

Depending on the Age of the computer, some aspects from the above links, may or may not apply to your computer.

A feature introduced into Big Sur & Monterey and Ventura was to preserve the number of Full Battery Cycles - there was an Algorithm coded into the macOS. It is perfectly Normal for Big Sur , Monterey, Ventura to Pause / Suspend charging the battery beyond 80% and hold it at that level. One can nudge / over-ride this by clicking the Battery Icon on Desktop Top Bar and allow charging beyond 80%. From observations, it will Pause / Suspend again once reading 90%. Same procedure to over-ride and will charge to 100%

Predicated on the information supplied in the link below

If battery charging is paused or on hold on your Mac - Apple Support (CA) and the Except in below

" In macOS Big Sur or later, Optimized Battery Charging is designed to improve the lifespan of your battery and reduce the time your Mac spends fully charged. When the feature is enabled, your Mac will delay charging past 80% in certain situations. Your Mac learns your charging routine and aims to ensure that your Mac is fully charged when unplugged."

There are Faster Learner and then there are Slow Leaners, lol

" On Mac computers with Apple silicon or the T2 security chip, Optimized Battery Charging is on by default when you set up your Mac or after updating to macOS Big Sur or later.

Refer to image below from a previous owned M1 MBA purchased in March 2021 and note the Date being Dec 2022

It does function

Then have a few suggestions ;

1 - Get Support Choose a product and we’ll find you the best solution.Start now and open an Apple Support Ticket as they are Apple Employees to deal will these types of issues . 

2 - Product Feedback - Apple and make it known to Apple regarding this ongoing issue 

3 - Have the computer evaluated by the Professionals who have the Special Hardware Software and Expertise to diagnose the issue and offer possible solutions

david_lo wrote:

First generation MBP M1.

I have read through those articles before, however, I have never seen it go to the stage you and the articles mentioned describe.

If you use allow your computer to run off its battery and discharge the battery now and then, it will keep track of that and since this is "exercising" the battery, the forced discharge and hold to 80% may never be seen. Because the algorithm that Apple uses may conclude that this type of forced discharge is not needed if you are doing that anyway through normal use.

The battery health reduction to an 80% charge for some time occurs when the laptop is always (or almost always) on the charger. This is because always being at 100% accelerates wear/tear on the battery. But someone who runs it down and up through regular use is already keeping the battery healthy through that normal usage pattern.

If your laptop is ALWAYS connected to the charger, and you have activated the battery health option in System Settings, and you never (after ~ months) see it go lower than 100%, then it may need to be checked by an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

ahhh - thats helpful, and probably my user case. I do have it on the charger most of the day. But at nighttime, I probably have it off the charger for longer periods than I think I do..

I'll keep an eye on it...

This confuses me as well. i thought my Mac was not supposed to charge past 80%, unless it feels it needed to. but my Mac always charges to 100% every time, regardless.

You will only get, as per the Image supplied, if you purposefully Mouse Over and Click ON Battery Icon in the Menu Bar

Thats helpful. Thanks for sharing screenshot. :)