Controlling Your MacBook's Charging Behavior for Better Battery Health

As you may know, Lenovo and Tesla offer features that allow users to control their devices' charging levels out of the box, while Apple doesn't. I was keen on controlling the maximum charge level myself before my battery degraded. Since my battery health is still high, it didn't reduce the maximum charge even after being plugged in for multiple days.

In my tests, it drained the battery a bit after being plugged in for a while and then recharged it back to 100%. This happens as needed to ensure that your battery charges to an optimized level for your usage, reducing wear on the battery and slowing its chemical aging. But what does this really mean? The description in System Preferences provides some clarity.

According to Apple's message, OS X will start reducing the maximum charge of the battery when it ages, to extend its lifespan. Based on the measurements collected, battery health management may reduce your battery's maximum charge when in this mode. This feature works by monitoring your battery's temperature history and charging patterns.

Apple describes the feature as: 'The battery health management feature in macOS 10.15.5 is designed to improve your battery's lifespan by reducing the rate at which it chemically ages.' It can be found under System Preferences > Energy Saver.

In Mac OS Catalina 10.15.5, Apple introduced a new feature called Battery Health. To avoid this from happening again, I started looking for a way to control the charging behavior of my MacBook. Unfortunately, replacing the swollen battery meant replacing the entire Topcase.

Upon inspection with a ruler, I noticed that the keyboard was curved because the battery had swollen. I first noticed there was a problem when my trackpad wasn't clicking properly anymore. For Lithium-Ion batteries, it's not healthy to remain charged at 100% all the time.

This means my MacBook is constantly connected to the charger. Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, I work from home, and this has led to my battery being consistently charged. However, for better battery health, it's essential to keep an eye on your charging habits.

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