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Charge limiter app AlDente - now works on M1 Macs
- Thread starter Leon1das
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Yes except for the Discharge option, which also means that Calibrate is not available.
The primary purpose of limiting max % works, but if it goes over for some reason (eg during system upgrade) you can't just click Discharge to bring it back to your chosen max.
This is a basic limitation not something AlDente can fix. There is a thread about this on the AlDente forum.
I was told directly by Matthias about 2 months ago, that AlDente does not support to Clamshell mode due to hardware limitations by Apple. If you wish, you can ask him the same thing on Github. The developers are quick to respond.
What I said ! Yes, except for Discharge and Calibration. The primary function works the same.
Did you look at the link in my post where the author of the program says the same!
Robert, No need to write again, MatthiasKerbl has already said in that thread I linked:
"AlDente Pro only has one feature which doesn't work in clamshell mode and that's Dicharge. This is due to technical limitations and we have not found a workaround for this issue yet. However, the other features such as Charge Limiter, Heat Protection and Sailing Mode work fine even in clamshell mode".
and
"You are right, the Calibration Mode does not work in clamshell mode as well".
My own experience using it in Clamshell mode supports the above.
I posted what I did because it appeared that the member would take the word of the developer saying the same thing we did, as some kind of better proof. lol I thought we were both clear already.
Yes we were both clear, but we gave opposite answers, which is why Nameste was confused.....You said no and I said yes
I don't understand why Matthias would say no to you, and also post what I quoted in his own forum, where he said yes with exception.
I believe what he posted in the forum is correct because it exactly lines up with my own use of AlDente in Clamshell mode.
I don't want to discourage Nameste from asking again but don't think it is necessary.
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I’ve set AlDente to 80% on both my M1s and they (mostly) never get charged past that limit.. (sometimes I see 81-83% charge ) in clamshell mode.
The main times I see it going over my set 60% number is after booting to Recovery, a shut down, reboot, or macOS update install, when the machine is connected to the charger for a period without macOS/AlDente running. This happens in Clamshell or normal mode.
This is my main use of the Discharge feature. If more than a few percent I take it out of Clamshell to bring it back.
But this limitation only applies to M1?
I use it in Clamshell mode on an Intel and it works just fine...
Thanks I wasn't sure about Intel. I only have M1 and the AlDente thread was asking about M1.
Also can't recall if the free AlDente has Discharge option.
So the "Discharge" button works fine on Intel in Clamshell?
You should use AlDente. It is giving you more control and works more reliable than Apple's solution. Also, if you are not using your battery for an extended period of time (like several days or so), 80% charge still is too much. With AlDente you can set it to something in between 50 to 70% which is not possible with Apple's solution.
If Apples built in Optimise battery setting is working for you than by all means use it instead. I generally prefer an Apple solution to a third party one.
You can tell if the Apple Optimise is working because you will usually see battery charge at 80% on a mostly plugged in Mac.
It has been reported that it can take a few weeks for Apples Optimise to start working.
I started using AlDente for two reasons:
1. After two months Apples Optimise clearly wasn't working for me. My battery was at 100% nearly all the time.
2. I like having the control with AlDente.
Apple Optimise may work differently/better when the laptop has a daily routine, like being charged at night and used on battery by day, which is the situation Optimise battery on iPhones works with.
Hello guys,
I've read the whole topic and I would like your advice on if do you consider AlDente would benefit me on my using patterns as I've yet to reach a conclusion.
I alternate 1 week working from home (on my M1 MBA) and next week working from the office on the company PC.
When I work from home I use the MBA M1 for 7 hours straight daily (monday-friday). I manually charge the laptop to 80% and then use it untill it falls to 40% then charge it again. Usually while working it drops from 80% to 50% then I use it the next day on battery until it drops from 50% to 40%. The next week I work from the office hence the MBA is used only for entertainment for 1-2 hours/day and charge it only once in a few days (to 80%)
Does AlDente bypasses the battery entirely when Sailing function is ON? Would you recommend that I start keeping my MBA plugged-in all the time with AlDente when working from home with, to minimise the battery wear ? I dont think the macbook AI will learn my usage patterns, from what i've read online.
I've read the whole topic and I would like your advice on if do you consider AlDente would benefit me on my using patterns as I've yet to reach a conclusion.
I alternate 1 week working from home (on my M1 MBA) and next week working from the office on the company PC.
When I work from home I use the MBA M1 for 7 hours straight daily (monday-friday). I manually charge the laptop to 80% and then use it untill it falls to 40% then charge it again. Usually while working it drops from 80% to 50% then I use it the next day on battery until it drops from 50% to 40%. The next week I work from the office hence the MBA is used only for entertainment for 1-2 hours/day and charge it only once in a few days (to 80%)
Does AlDente bypasses the battery entirely when Sailing function is ON? Would you recommend that I start keeping my MBA plugged-in all the time with AlDente when working from home with, to minimise the battery wear ? I dont think the macbook AI will learn my usage patterns, from what i've read online.
Once the charge limit is reached AlDente helps that charger powers Mac directly - bypassing the battery...
So, yes - many users use it the same way. AlDente installed and charger constantly plugged in. I use it from Jan 2021, limit set to 60%, my Battery Health is 100% today.
BTW Apple can make the app (or System settings) with the same capabilities as AlDente - but they are not having financial incentives of doing so - since battery replacement is the source of their income too. Nevertheless - the way AlDente works on Macs puts it way ahead vs any Windows laptop, where such a feature has to be baked in the BIOS/UEFI by the OEM.
I rather doubt it too, but it might. Nothing lost by trying Apple Optimised for a few weeks (if you haven't already.....it wasn't clear from what you wrote whether you have had Optimise Charging on or not).
As I said earlier I went with AlDente because of the control, no wondering what and when optimise charging is going to do something.
Thanks for the reply guys. I've yet to try out the AI mac optimisation as it is making me uncomfortable to keep the MBA M1 at 100% for hours on end and days until the AI decides (and if) to learn my charging patterns.
Here's another anecdote on and vote for customized battery health management.
My charging patterns were impossible for the Apple AI to capture, because there was no rhyme or reason whatsoever to my charging habits. This M1 Air is always docked, running 24/7, except when I randomly decide to grab it and work on a coach, a few times a week. Could be any time, morning, day, night. Optimized Charging just kept it at a 100% and couldn't decide any better.
After 2 months I installed AlDente, bought the Pro version too to support the developer, set the max charge level to 80%. After eight more months of docking, the battery condition is at 100% according to Apple's own dialog, and 98.5% according to Coconut Battery. It's been fluctuating around the same number, with an occasional dip, but then coming back up.
Maybe once a month I let the battery go down to 30% or so, charge it back up, then let it dry to 60...80% before docking the computer again. So far so good.
Since there are no moving parts, not even the keyboard (since it's docked 99% of the time), I expect to get many years out of this little powerhouse of a laptop. If not for myself, then for someone who purchases it from me.