Battery Health Optimization - Is it not for all models ?

[Taz Mangus]

Something else that I just noticed. Every time that the battery reaches the max charging level set by Al Dente, the cycle count gets incremented. In my case, I have the max battery charge set to 80% with Al Dente and when it reaches 80% the cycle count gets bumped up by 1. I was thinking that the cycle count would only get bumped when the charge reaches 100%.

 

[FlyingDutch]

I just started using the Al Dente battery app today. Seems to work pretty well at caping the charge level. The battery in my 2015 13” MacBook Pro still has its original battery which has 549 charge cycles on it. It is at 81% of its original max capacity. I figure I might be able to get another 2 or 3 years out of the battery before replacing it by using something like the Al Dente app.

And something else I thought was interesting. My wife also has the same 2015 13” MacBook Pro computer. The cycle count on her computer is 194 and the battery capacity on that computer is at 82% of its original max capacity.

I wasn’t aware such an app exists... very useful.

By the way, your battery is at 81% of its original capacity: that’s pretty low on battery health. I think you will need to replace it in a few months, maybe a year, but surely not “2 or 3 years” IMHO.
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Something else that I just noticed. Every time that the battery reaches the max charging level set by Al Dente, the cycle count gets incremented. In my case, I have the max battery charge set to 80% with Al Dente and when it reaches 80% the cycle count gets bumped up by 1. I was thinking that the cycle count would only get bumped when the charge reaches 100%.

That’s perfectly normal, because the app works by “cheating” the SMC, that will stop charging at the desired percentage by thinking it is a full battery. So it will count as a cycle.

 

[steve62388]

thats because they want us to keep buying or upgrading to the new products; I am just a regular user of the macbook; so don't see a reason for me to upgrade. But, i am pretty sure some brilliant dude will get a work around to get this enabled; so..will wait till then ))

Or....

At this point it’s too late for those models, the batteries would already be shot. And when macOS suddenly reports to millions of users that the battery needs replacing everybody would be up in arms that Apple is trying to sell them a new one.

 

[Mortis360]

I would think there are reasons for only newer devices supporting this battery health optimization feature, one reason could be that USB Power Delivery charging works in a different way than MagSafe chargers did, with the communication between charger and computer, to negotiate volts and amps.

It's not necessary "let's cut older devices for no reason" as many like to think, there can be actual hardware differences.

 

[Rafal Rudzki]

Are you running the installer as an admin user?
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I just figured out that another way to reset the battery max charge level to 100% is to do a SMC reset. So regardless of whether you are running Al Dente a SMC reset will always force the max battery charge back to 100%.

After I allied the 10.15.5 update and I was using Al Dente, the time to full charge looked off. It was report more than 10 hours. So I decided to do a SMC reset and now the time to full charge seems better. After doing the SMC reset I noticed the max battery charge reset back to 100% when I executed Al Dente again.

[/QUOTE]
ok I update success combo and it works thanks a lot

 

[evec]

The battery charge level by change the SMC parameter called BCLM.
This parameter introduced Catalina so no support before Catalina, it designed for new health care function.
The Apple can close this function in anytime if they don't like 3rd parity touch it.

The battery cycle count by battery IC 100% mean one fully charging capacity, no relative of the change and discharge cycle, people thing one cycle is lower that the capacity because the battery have been consumped when the power supply can not provide sufficient power. As like cpu turbo run , the machine will consume the battery power so the battery counting will up even you plug the power supply already.

The Battery charging control based on the SMC (firmware) and the MOSFET (switch) between power and battery, it is no relative on external ports.

The reason of no battery health function because this function not for customers, mainly for Apple avoid replace failure and swollen batteries for free due to battery issue.

So, for older devices, no need free replace and no battery health.

 

[Taz Mangus]

ok I update success combo and it works thanks a lot

The battery optimization now shows up in System Preferences for you?

 

[gank41]

I think the prerequisite is that you need a T2 chip?

 

[vince22]

I think the prerequisite is that you need a T2 chip?

2016 MBP and up or newer.

 

[gank41]

2016 MBP and up or newer.

Yeah, looks like a MacBook that supports Thunderbolt 3, not the T2 chip specifically. Thanks!

 

[Taz Mangus]

By the way, your battery is at 81% of its original capacity: that’s pretty low on battery health. I think you will need to replace it in a few months, maybe a year, but surely not “2 or 3 years” IMHO.

I was incorrect about my computers max battery capacity, it is at 86% not 81%.

 

[chrfr]

I think the prerequisite is that you need a T2 chip?

Thunderbolt 3 is the requirement; as such the 12" MacBook is excluded, but the 2016-2017 MBPs do have access to this feature.

 

[FlyingDutch]

I was incorrect about my computers max battery capacity, it is at 86% not 81%.

Ok, that’s different. I kept my 2015 at 86% and after one year it was at 84%. Still doing a working day.

 

[JohnDoe12]

Something else that I just noticed. Every time that the battery reaches the max charging level set by Al Dente, the cycle count gets incremented. In my case, I have the max battery charge set to 80% with Al Dente and when it reaches 80% the cycle count gets bumped up by 1. I was thinking that the cycle count would only get bumped when the charge reaches 100%.

That's really interesting. Are you sure it's not just because you're probably using 100% of the battery somehow? Does it consistently increment by 1 every single time you get to 80%?

 

[Taz Mangus]

That's really interesting. Are you sure it's not just because you're probably using 100% of the battery somehow? Does it consistently increment by 1 every single time you get to 80%?

I was incorrect about the cycle count getting incremented. It looks like it is doing exactly what is explained by Apple:

A charge cycle happens when you use all of the battery’s power—but that doesn’t necessarily mean a single charge.

For example, you could use half of your notebook's charge in one day, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two. In this way, it might take several days to complete a cycle.

Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops - Apple Support

Learn how to determine the number of cycles your Mac laptop's battery has.

support.apple.com

 

[JohnDoe12]

It seems to be incrementing by 1 each time it reaches 80%. I think because Al Dente is fooling the SMC into thinking 80% is full charge, the cycle count increments. I thought a 1 cycle count = a complete discharge and charge. But that does not seem to be the case.

That's what it seems to me too, but I really don't think it should be like that. When you go to 100% normally, it only increments by 1 if you've actually used a full 100%. Pretty strange all in all.

I wish I could test it at something like 20% but it's stuck at 65% even though I set the limit at 80%. But on the other hand my battery has needed servicing for a while and it often stuck at some weird percentage in the past, so it might just be that...

 

[Taz Mangus]

That's what it seems to me too, but I really don't think it should be like that. When you go to 100% normally, it only increments by 1 if you've actually used a full 100%. Pretty strange all in all.

I wish I could test it at something like 20% but it's stuck at 65% even though I set the limit at 80%. But on the other hand my battery has needed servicing for a while and it often stuck at some weird percentage in the past, so it might just be that...

I update my response above, please see.
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I thought I was seeing the cycle count get incremented but today the battery was at 9% and I charged it to 80% with Al Dente and the cycle count did not get incremented.