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macOS 14 Sonoma on Unsupported Macs Thread

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The first post of this thread is a WikiPost and can be edited by anyone with the appropiate permissions. Your edits will be public.
fodi97 said:
I love Sonoma on my MBP 2015 13". Only real issue I face is battery life. It's really weak, like half or even less then I get with the last supported version of MacOs (Monterey).

Does anyone know a fix for this? Or should I just keep it plugged in and be happy that my 8 year old laptop is rocking Sonoma? :D (I had the same issue in Ventura as well, both on clean install and "dirty" OTA update install).
Click to expand...

is it really flat ?( I know odd question)
Have you tried resetting the SMC ? When it thinks it’s flat but isn’t.
 
hvds said:
Bluetooth works now in my case (MBP11,1 14.2b4, 1.3.0n latest). Using a bluetooth headset to hear music.
What I did is in system settings / bluetooth, "ignore" this device which was already visible but couldn't conntect to.
Afterwards, mac found the device again, and connection worked. Disconnect / connect again also worked.
No logs for bluetoothd btw.
Click to expand...

Okay, but in my case the BT symbol has that strikethrough icon which indicates that the service is not available.
 
fodi97 said:
I love Sonoma on my MBP 2015 13". Only real issue I face is battery life. It's really weak, like half or even less then I get with the last supported version of MacOs (Monterey).

Does anyone know a fix for this? Or should I just keep it plugged in and be happy that my 8 year old laptop is rocking Sonoma? :D (I had the same issue in Ventura as well, both on clean install and "dirty" OTA update install).
Click to expand...
To care for what is left of your battery, I recommend AlDente. ....it's a utility that lives in your menu bar that will allow your battery to be pugged in all day with minimal degradation of your battery.

While your battery is quite old, it may still help.
I def recommend it for brand new batteries, like that of my New MacBook Pro
 
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@BuffyzDead Thanks for the tip! Downloaded the free version and am testing now. I have also enabled Low Power mode on battery.

Screenshot 2023-11-29 at 2.58.40 PM.png
 
fodi97 said:
Only real issue I face is battery life.
>>
Does anyone know a fix for this?
Click to expand...
Eh, buy a new battery? Usually an easy cheap-ish DIY thing unless there is something special with your model.
Youtube videos galore..
 
mikelets456 said:
Are you using aldente on a MBP 11,4? Since going to Sonoma I can’t get it to work on mine. Did you reset SMC? Maybe I should try that?
Click to expand...
AlDente on MBP6,2. I didn't need to do anything special and didn't need to reset SMC/NVRAM. After downloading the free version, I allowed it to update to the latest version and then configured it to launch at login. That's it.

I was mixing up my Macs - I reported in my previous post that I enabled "Low Power Mode" on battery. This option was not available on my MBP6,2 running Sonoma patched with OCLP 1.3.0n. This might be because of something I did and I'm checking this.
 
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fodi97 said:
I love Sonoma on my MBP 2015 13". Only real issue I face is battery life. It's really weak, like half or even less then I get with the last supported version of MacOs (Monterey).

Does anyone know a fix for this? Or should I just keep it plugged in and be happy that my 8 year old laptop is rocking Sonoma? :D (I had the same issue in Ventura as well, both on clean install and "dirty" OTA update install).
Click to expand...
Couple of thought.

1) download Coconut Battery and see what it says about the number of recharge cycles, and the maximum capacity at full charge

2) keep Activity Monitor launched or at least run it occasionally to see what apps, processes and services are using the most energy.

I’ve run laptops plugged in all the time with batteries on their last legs because I rarely use them mobile outside of the house.

This is something you’ll have to determine based on your applications and your typical use.
 
Watch out for the "bulging battery" problem. When they get too old they start to expand and push out the keyboard and eventually you will not be able to close the lid. I suppose they could eventually explode. OWC has replacement batteries. Some are easier than others to work replace. My Late 2013 MBP was a beast. You have to gut it down to the shell to remove the battery, then reattach many tiny connectors. Others are easier. Check out the videos at the OWC site.
 
fodi97 said:
I love Sonoma on my MBP 2015 13". Only real issue I face is battery life. It's really weak, like half or even less then I get with the last supported version of MacOs (Monterey).

Does anyone know a fix for this? Or should I just keep it plugged in and be happy that my 8 year old laptop is rocking Sonoma? :D (I had the same issue in Ventura as well, both on clean install and "dirty" OTA update install).
Click to expand...
Sonoma is heavy on CPU. Indeed battery life is affected.
 
Dilli said:
Sonoma is heavy on CPU. Indeed battery life is affected.
Click to expand...

Well, with all the bs running in the background (about 1.800 threads on a clean install, iirc), who wonders? With all the RAM and CPU power available on current systems, OSes are not longer designed to be slim an efficient but to look cute. And if Intel made more power-efficient CPUs, Apple probably would have never invested billions to develp their own CPUs…
 
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mikelets456 said:
Are you using aldente on a MBP 11,4? Since going to Sonoma I can’t get it to work on mine. Did you reset SMC? Maybe I should try that?
Click to expand...
Using it on a MBP11,1 since a few weeks, worked right away.
I have the paid version for some of the extra features (the "sailing mode" leaves the battery almost completely unused while the mac is connected to power supply). But the free version has the most essential feature already (charge limiting).
 
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amaze1499 said:
Is there a special reason why you checking it this way?
Click to expand...
Initiating Humour-module…
Print: "Only to feel that extra bit more special. ;) "
…End of humor.

Seriously, VDADecoderChecker checks if h264 decoding works on-board graphics. And if it does, iGPU acceleration as a whole is working - beyond all doubt.
 
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hvds said:
Using it on a MBP11,1 since a few weeks, worked right away.
I have the paid version for some of the extra features (the "sailing mode" leaves the battery almost completely unused while the mac is connected to power supply). But the free version has the most essential feature already (charge limiting).
Click to expand...

Genuine question is it worth it if the battery is 10 years old? Or fit a new battery and then charge limit? (is the old battery to far gone?)
 
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TOM1211 said:
Genuine question is it worth it if the battery is 10 years old? Or fit a new battery and then charge limit? (is the old battery to far gone?)
Click to expand...
How many cycles are on the battery? Also, there was a recall on the battery (at least on my 11,4) and it was replaced for free....something about it catching on fire? I went to the site and typed in the serial number---it stated that it was either replaced or not affected. I bought mine used and it has a cycle count of 612---with 80% health. So i'm not sure if it was replaced...Anyway, here's the link:

15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program - Apple Support

15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program
support.apple.com
 
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TOM1211 said:
Genuine question is it worth it if the battery is 10 years old? Or fit a new battery and then charge limit? (is the old battery to far gone?)
Click to expand...

You can check the charging cycles of the battery and get an estimate of its condition from Sytem Profiler without installing anything. And if the battery is empty in like half an hour it's probably time for a new one. But beware of scammers selling low quality batteries.
 
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My MBP6,2 running Sonoma patched with OCLP 1.3.0n has "Energy Saver" in System Settings. "Energy Saver" offers limited energy saving options for laptops. My MBP15,2 which does not require OCLP and runs Sonoma natively as a supported Mac has "Battery" in System Settings. Battery offers more energy saving options for my laptop. As far as I can tell, Macs that have "Battery" in system settings are mobile (laptops) and Macs that have "Energy Saver" in settings are non-mobile (desktops).

Is anyone else with a mobile (laptop) patched with OCLP seeing "Energy Saver" in System Settings (instead of Battery) and are you able to explain why that might be? What is the attribute that tells Sonoma that a Mac is mobile (laptop)? Is it simply that Sonoma is looking for a supported mobile SMBIOS model?
 
TOM1211 said:
Genuine question is it worth it if the battery is 10 years old? Or fit a new battery and then charge limit? (is the old battery to far gone?)
Click to expand...
I've had to answer the same question for my MBP6,2 and decided that for me, the cost of the new battery was not worth it. I think this decision is going to be different for each individual. As 5T33ZO stated, there are a lot of battery "scammers" that will sell you a cheap battery. I first tried a cheap battery from Amazon and ended up returning it for a refund after the battery did not hold a charge.
 
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deeveedee said:
I've had to answer the same question for my MBP6,2 and decided that for me, the cost of the new battery was not worth it. I think this decision is going to be different for each individual. As 5T33ZO stated, there are a lot of battery "scammers" that will sell you a cheap battery. I first tried a cheap battery from Amazon and ended up returning it for a refund after the battery did not hold a charge.
Click to expand...
OWC looks like a decent option. I have never used them but their site lists the battery, tools and video for $84…
 
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