Why would you keep the MacBook always plugged in, whenever possible, for long periods?

[BigMcGuire]

I have used AlDente since it was an open source project by its devs. It has greatly increased the longevity of my MacBook batteries because I use my MacBooks in clamshell mode with external monitors on my desk most of their lives. I have to fly / drive to sites for work now and then so I need a laptop.

AlDente allows me to bypass the battery and run off wall power while keeping the battery at a very relaxed state of charge (50-60-70%).

This has done wonders for my MBP 16' 2021 battery health and longevity.

Before AlDente my batteries would be below 80% and needing replacement by this time.

AlDente: (I manually move the charge bar now and then)

Apple Power:

 

[ignatius345]

Apple's battery management works very well. My M4 MBP stays charged to 80% even though it's plugged in about 95% of the time.

Exactly. This is what happens if -- like my older relative -- you leave your MacBook Air sitting on the charger 24/7/365:



Apple's battery management kicks in and limits charging to 80% automatically. No problem.

Next time I remote into her machine, I'll check the battery health out of curiosity. The battery of this M2 Air will probably have like 5 cycles on it, if that, having been on AC power almost continuously for several years.

All this obsession over battery health is just a really really boring hobby. It's a consumable part.

 

[m1maverick]

All this obsession over battery health is just a really really boring hobby. It's a consumable part.

It might be consumable but it's a concern now that it cannot be easily replaced.

 

[chmania]

80% seems to be the agreed upon limit to charge a battery unless the full capacity is needed.

Have look here and here and here, whether it is Aldente or some other command line script. The full capacity is never needed, considering MacBooks, especially the newer silicon Macs. 80% or less will keep you going the whole day. And, carry the charger with you, as wall sockets, table sockets etc are all over the place.

 

[m1maverick]

Have look here and here and here, whether it is Aldente or some other command line script. The full capacity is never needed, considering MacBooks, especially the newer silicon Macs. 80% or less will keep you going the whole day. And, carry the charger with you, as wall sockets, table sockets etc are all over the place.

Uh, OK...and?

 

[ignatius345]

It might be consumable but it's a concern now that it cannot be easily replaced.

It can very easily be replaced.

 

[m1maverick]

It can very easily be replaced.

Uh, that's not what I meant and I suspect you knew that.

 

[ignatius345]

Uh, that's not what I meant and I suspect you knew that.

Assume you means "open the machine and do it yourself" but I don't see how that's relevant. Batteries are still easily replacable. One can use the battery as designed until it doesn't hold a sufficient charge for one's uses, and then have the battery replaced.

 

[danpass]

I keep it plugged in.

But I also use AlDente app to control max charge rate. I keep it set to 70%.

Without AlDente I’d have to rely on the Mac battery smarts and I’d rather have direct control.

-

 

[BigMcGuire]

Yep, and 60% is far easier on the battery than 80% - which is still a lot better than 100%

 

[Scottish_Scrooge]

I tend to use MBA M2 in clamshell mode 90% of the time, but never get capped at 80%

 

[Alpha Centauri]

It's always intersting to see the icons Apple vs AlDente maximum capacity varying to such an extent.

Since ownership of a 03/2023 M2 MBP:

AlDente: 97% battery health with 12 charging cycles.
Apple: 100% (recalling 103 % at get go.

 

[BigMcGuire]

It's always intersting to see the icons Apple vs AlDente maximum capacity varying to such an extent.

Since ownership of a 03/2023 M2 MBP:

AlDente: 97% battery health with 12 charging cycles.
Apple: 100% (recalling 103 % at get go.

coconutBattery and AlDente pull their values directly from the device's system logs. Apple's health % tries to stabilize that a bit more (my opinion) - due to the fact that if you observe AlDente/coconutBattery's pulls from the system logs - those change on a daily basis (up and down) - because of the chemical nature of batteries.

One thing I really like about coconutBattery - you get a history over time. My Mac:

Apple:

AlDente:

 

[chmania]

The current battery charge, macOS says it is 75%, while CoconutBattery says it is 72.4%. Why the differences?

The short answer is: they’re reading from slightly different places, and rounding differently.

How macOS calculates %

• macOS reports State of Charge (SoC) relative to the current maximum capacity.
• It uses a smoothed/rounded value so that the battery icon doesn’t jump around with every small fluctuation.
• Example: if the raw reading is 72.4%, macOS might display 75%.

How coconutBattery calculates %

• coconutBattery queries the SMC directly for raw charge values (current mAh ÷ full charge capacity).
• It doesn’t smooth as much, so you see something closer to the real-time raw number.
• In this case, 72% is likely the true charge, while macOS is “rounding up” to 75%.

Why this happens

• Voltage fluctuations: The reported charge % is an estimate based on both coulomb counting (mAh in/out) and voltage curves. At mid-levels (60–80%), the curve is flat, so small measurement differences make the % jump.
• Rounding: macOS favours “cleaner” values (multiples of 5% sometimes), while CoconutBattery gives you a rawer figure.
• Smoothing algorithms: macOS applies averaging so your % doesn’t swing around while you’re working.

Bottom line

• Both readings are correct — they’re just different interpretations of the same battery telemetry.
• macOS = “polished, rounded, stable number.”
• coconutBattery = “raw, more exact number."
• A 3% discrepancy is completely normal.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

The current battery charge, macOS says it is 75%, while CoconutBattery says it is 72.4%. Why the differences?

The short answer is: they’re reading from slightly different places, and rounding differently.

How macOS calculates %

• macOS reports State of Charge (SoC) relative to the current maximum capacity.
• It uses a smoothed/rounded value so that the battery icon doesn’t jump around with every small fluctuation.
• Example: if the raw reading is 72.4%, macOS might display 75%.

How coconutBattery calculates %

• hen coconutBattery queries the SMC directly for raw charge values (current mAh ÷ full charge capacity).
• It doesn’t smooth as much, so you see something closer to the real-time raw number.
• In this case, 72% is likely the true charge, while macOS is “rounding up” to 75%.

Why this happens

• Voltage fluctuations: The reported charge % is an estimate based on both coulomb counting (mAh in/out) and voltage curves. At mid-levels (60–80%), the curve is flat, so small measurement differences make the % jump.
• Rounding: macOS favours “cleaner” values (multiples of 5% sometimes), while CoconutBattery gives you a rawer figure.
• Smoothing algorithms: macOS applies averaging so your % doesn’t swing around while you’re working.

Bottom line

• Both readings are correct — they’re just different interpretations of the same battery telemetry.
• macOS = “polished, rounded, stable number.”
• coconutBattery = “raw, more exact number."
• A 3% discrepancy is completely normal.

I've seen this 3 percentile difference of Apple vs coconut or AlDente. Got AlDente and Apple both displaying on the top menu also. AlDente has also been rock stabile, no jumping, just adjusting its percentage down accordingly with an increase of charging cycles.

 

[chmania]

I've seen this 3 percentile difference of Apple vs coconut or AlDente. Got AlDente and Apple both displaying on the top menu also. AlDente has also been rock stabile, no jumping, just adjusting its percentage down accordingly with an increase of charging cycles.

If you are using Aldente, best not to enable macOS Optimised Charging Mode. Also, put the MacBook off from time to time, if no job is scheduled for the night.