Charge limiter app AlDente - now works on M1 Macs

[Apple_Robert]

got myself a license too - awesome little program )

got one question though: it says when activated its inhibiting charging - but that doesn't fit the description

View attachment 1757475 View attachment 1757475

I have found the UI confusing, especially Sailing Mode toggle. It appears that on is really off. Your comment applies to the Calibration Mode button as well.

It would be nice to know how long it takes before Sailing Mode kicks in and starts slowly draining your battery down to the specified level. That way we would know if it is working correctly or not.

Calibration mode just drained my battery to 15% and is now in the process of charging it back to 100%.

Edited to add: This program is the kind of thing Apple should have implemented. I really like the power and ability of the program.

 

[tosbsas]

yep, would like to know that too - sailing I mean. )

I asked the devs también where we should post those questions cause the GitHub page looks like its for 2.2

 

[Mike Boreham]

AlDente just sent out invites for a limited number of beta testers for their pro version. Beta testers get 50% off the price of the pro version.

send an email to news@apphousekitchen.com. State your Mac model and say you want to beta test Aldente Pro.

Link shows what the pro version will include.

AlDente

AlDente – Charge Limiter The ALL-IN-ONE charge Limiter App for MacBooks. Download Free Get AlDente Pro AlDente gives you the tools you need to extend the life of your MacBook battery. Why do I need this? Li-ion batteries (like the one in your MacBook) last the longest when operated between 20%...

apphousekitchen.com

Pricing

AlDente Free Charge Limiter Discharge Automatic Discharge Discharge in Clamshell Mode Heat Protection Sailing Mode Control MagSafe LED Top Up Calibration Mode Apple Shortcuts Support Right Click Live Status Icons No Support Full License Download Free Notarized by Apple AlDente Pro Subscription...

apphousekitchen.com

I sent an email as soon as I saw this. Not had a reply, and now Website says they have enough beta testers now. I had also signed up to be notified about the Pro version ages ago.

 

[tosbsas]

Where does it say this? That they have enough Beta Testers

 

[Mike Boreham]

Where does it say this? That they have enough Beta Testers

https://github.com/davidwernhart/AlDente

AlDente Pro Beta Launch!​

We are incredibly excited to share with you some big news: AlDente Pro is ready for the first taste tests!

After months of development, AlDente Pro is finally ready for a limited number of beta testers.

Thank you very much, we have enough beta testers for now. We will keep you up to date, when the final version of AlDente Pro is ready.

In the meantime, you can find more information about AlDente Pro, all its features, and supported devices on our new website: https://apphousekitchen.com

 

[tosbsas]

found it too - was looking on the new webpage. Its awesome, needs some more explanation, but ideas are really cool

 

[Mike Boreham]

AlDente just sent out invites for a limited number of beta testers for their pro version.

Did you actually receive an invite from AlDente? Or did you see the website and send an email requesting to be a beta tester.

I clicked the "Get Pro" button in Settings months ago, so was expecting a notification at least. I didn't see the website until seeing the notification for your post about it here and applied immediately.

I have a hunch they may be overwhelmed by success of AlDente and don't have the infrastructure to take it to the next level.

 

[tosbsas]

I wrote an email and got a Link, paid and got a key

 

[BigMcGuire]

So I originally purchased without the discount and never got my key. Re-purchased with the discount and got my key a bit later.

Finally using Al Dente Pro! WOW - this is awesome. I activated it on my work MBP and my personal (M1) MBP. Love it!

And yeah, I put in a ticket initially when I purchased -<edit just got a reply a day later>. I bet it's just these two guys and it's beta so - no problem.

I enjoy supporting small developers so I'm cool with that. Can't complain for $11/year !!!! Woo hoo. This app is something I've wanted on a MacBook for ... many years now. FINALLY.

I love how it shows the battery status in the top bar.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Did you actually receive an invite from AlDente? Or did you see the website and send an email requesting to be a beta tester.

I clicked the "Get Pro" button in Settings months ago, so was expecting a notification at least. I didn't see the website until seeing the notification for your post about it here and applied immediately.

I have a hunch they may be overwhelmed by success of AlDente and don't have the infrastructure to take it to the next level.

I received an email invitation.

 

[Mike Boreham]

I received an email invitation.

Thanks. I guess first come first served or something, though you might have thought people who registered interest via the app would come before anyone who just applied by email.

Anyway I have had a polite response saying I won't have to wait long as they are going to be releasing it soon.

So do a good job beta testing for us guys!

 

[anshuvorty]

So, especially on the M1 MacBooks, how is this software different than Apple's built-in implementation of Battery Health, as Apple calls it?

Wouldn't the built-in tool work better and more efficiently than this software, because Apple has access to private APIs and such?

 

[BigMcGuire]

So, especially on the M1 MacBooks, how is this software different than Apple's built-in implementation of Battery Health, as Apple calls it?

Wouldn't the built-in tool work better and more efficiently than this software, because Apple has access to private APIs and such?

Apple's will, when it wants to, drop the charge of your battery sometimes to 91% or so and then charge it back up - it spends most of its time at 100%.

AlDente allows you to set 80% as max charge and holds it there, or 70, or whatever you want it to be set to.

This does a lot more than Apple's "optimized charging" and gives you a lot more control. You can drain your battery, calibrate, have specific charging for sleeping and when powered off.

I've been using AlDente since October of last year. Absolutely love this app. Apple's optimized charging is very limited, works when it wants to, and your battery spends most of its time at 100% or near 100% anyway even if completely run off of power.

 

[Mike Boreham]

So, especially on the M1 MacBooks, how is this software different than Apple's built-in implementation of Battery Health, as Apple calls it?

Wouldn't the built-in tool work better and more efficiently than this software, because Apple has access to private APIs and such?

One would like to think so, but in four months of ownership I have only seen the Apple built in optimisation do anything once. Some people report that it works. I suspect it is really aimed at people who have a daily routine of charge at night use by day, which is how the iPhone battery optimisation works, and is implied by the wording in the Battery Pref Pane:

I don't think Apple's optimisation works with machines like mine which are plugged in nearly all the time with no 'daily charging routine' to learn.

The other benefit is control. AlDente has control over the process but with Apple you have one control.... ON/OFF, and in my case it seems OFF.

In general I prefer the Apple built in option over a third party tool but this is an exception.

I suggest you try the Apple optimisation on your machine and see if it works for you.

 

[Mike Boreham]

Apple's will, when it wants to, drop the charge of your battery sometimes to 91% or so and then charge it back up - it spends most of its time at 100%.

AlDente allows you to set 80% as max charge and holds it there, or 70, or whatever you want it to be set to.

This does a lot more than Apple's "optimized charging" and gives you a lot more control. You can drain your battery, calibrate, have specific charging for sleeping and when powered off.

I've been using AlDente since October of last year. Absolutely love this app. Apple's optimized charging is very limited, works when it wants to, and your battery spends most of its time at 100% or near 100% anyway even if completely run off of power.

View attachment 1757825

Note that @BigMcGuire 's screenshot is AlDente Pro 1.0 Beta, only available to a lucky few testers but it is a foretaste of what is in the pipeline. The currently available version does not have all these options but does the basics.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Thanks. I guess first come first served or something, though you might have thought people who registered interest via the app would come before anyone who just applied by email.

Anyway I have had a polite response saying I won't have to wait long as they are going to be releasing it soon.

So do a good job beta testing for us guys!

I did like you early on and signed up on their website to be notified when AlDente Pro was going to be released.

 

[Apple_Robert]

So I originally purchased without the discount and never got my key. Re-purchased with the discount and got my key a bit later.

Finally using Al Dente Pro! WOW - this is awesome. I activated it on my work MBP and my personal (M1) MBP. Love it!

And yeah, I put in a ticket initially when I purchased - never got a reply. I bet it's just these two guys and it's beta so - no problem.

I enjoy supporting small developers so I'm cool with that. Can't complain for $11/year !!!! Woo hoo. This app is something I've wanted on a MacBook for ... many years now. FINALLY.

I love how it shows the battery status in the top bar.

I bought the lifetime license for $13.50.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Just got the second license and a personal note from one of the authors. Woo hoo made my day.

Love this app. The almost 7 months I had my 2020 MBP 13' I could see a night and day difference vs my 2017 (which spent most of its life 100% plugged in).

 

[Apple_Robert]

Just got the second license and a personal note from one of the authors. Woo hoo made my day.

Love this app. The almost 7 months I had my 2020 MBP 13' I could see a night and day difference vs my 2017 (which spent most of its life 100% plugged in).

Very classy of the developer.

One difference I have noticed between the pro and free version is that with the pro, you have to manually discharge the battery, whereas the free version did it automatically.

 

[tosbsas]

I think I Start seeing floating

 

[jdb8167]

One would like to think so, but in four months of ownership I have only seen the Apple built in optimisation do anything once. Some people report that it works. I suspect it is really aimed at people who have a daily routine of charge at night use by day, which is how the iPhone battery optimisation works, and is implied by the wording in the Battery Pref Pane:

View attachment 1757818

I don't think Apple's optimisation works with machines like mine which are plugged in nearly all the time with no 'daily charging routine' to learn.

The other benefit is control. AlDente has control over the process but with Apple you have one control.... ON/OFF, and in my case it seems OFF.

In general I prefer the Apple built in option over a third party tool but this is an exception.

I suggest you try the Apple optimisation on your machine and see if it works for you.

Nope, my M1 MBA is plugged in nearly continuously and Big Sur's optimized battery charging works great for me. If I charge to 100% and undock, when I dock again it will charge up to about 80% and stop. If I charge again to 100% and don't undock, it discharges until it is around 80% again. Works exactly as described.

This is after a couple of days being plugged in for 24 hours a day. Last used off the charger for about 3 hours last Friday.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Nope, my M1 MBA is plugged in nearly continuously and Big Sur's optimized battery charging works great for me. If I charge to 100% and undock, when I dock again it will charge up to about 80% and stop. If I charge again to 100% and don't undock, it discharges until it is around 80% again. Works exactly as described.

This is after a couple of days being plugged in for 24 hours a day. Last used off the charger for about 3 hours last Friday.
View attachment 1757989 View attachment 1757988

Wow, my wife and I never got optimized charging to work. Very nice.

 

[Mike Boreham]

Nope, my M1 MBA is plugged in nearly continuously and Big Sur's optimized battery charging works great for me. If I charge to 100% and undock, when I dock again it will charge up to about 80% and stop. If I charge again to 100% and don't undock, it discharges until it is around 80% again. Works exactly as described.

I think we have had this convo before @jdb8167, and it was you I was thinking of when I said it works for some people! Not sure if we discussed the "daily charging routine" aspect before. My usage has absolutely no element of a daily charging routine for the machine to learn as per the Battery Sys Pref Pane, and it doesn't sound as though your usage does either.

Even if Apple's worked perfectly for me, I would probably go with AlDente because of the control aspect, especially with the Pro version (AlDente have relented and let me into the beta).

 

[jdb8167]

I think we have had this convo before @jdb8167, and it was you I was thinking of when I said it works for some people! Not sure if we discussed the "daily charging routine" aspect before. My usage has absolutely no element of a daily charging routine for the machine to learn as per the Battery Sys Pref Pane, and it doesn't sound as though your usage does either.

Even if Apple's worked perfectly for me, I would probably go with AlDente because of the control aspect, especially with the Pro version (AlDente have relented and let me into the beta).

You aren't the only person here to say it doesn't work for them. I just want to be clear that it does work in at least some cases and I mostly have my MBA plugged in 24/7 right now and it still works for me. Whatever reason it doesn't work for you I don't think it is a particular usage pattern. This is my 10-day usage. Note that when I'm docked I'm in clamshell mode so screen on usage is zero. You can see I have almost zero on screen usage except for Friday.

 

[Mike Boreham]

One difference I have noticed between the pro and free version is that with the pro, you have to manually discharge the battery, whereas the free version did it automatically.

You're correct but I like this change. I like that the Pro version has two unambiguous manual override buttons which simply mean "Charge now" or "Discharge now" irrespective of the set percentages. I found the option to "Allow Discharge" in ver 2.2 somewhat confusing, and for Clamshell users like me, a real poo trap, as it shuts off the external monitor instantly.

It is great that the Discharge now option in the Pro version is disabled with a message if Clamshell mode is detected.

I can see that for non-clamshell users the version 2.2 "Allow discharge" option would do automatically what must now be done manually in the Pro version, but I think the need only arises by occasional exception, eg if charge had gone above set number (eg by being plugged in while machine shut down).