Optimized Battery Charging not working on MacBook Pro 2024

FWIW, I think you are overthinking this. A month is not a long time. Leave the computer plugged in and forget about it. The charging/power system will learn over time.

Here are some articles that may help explain what is happening.

If battery charging is paused or on hold on your Mac - Apple Support

About battery health management in Mac notebooks - Apple Support

Charge the MacBook Pro battery - Apple Support

tunacik wrote:

[...]

I read that my MacBook would learn my charging pattern and prevent the battery from charging to 100 percent to prolong battery life.

I would like to ask why is my MacBook Pro 2024 still charging to 100 percent even after more than a month of regular use. I basically cannot disconnect the USB-C cable since I am using it to connect to a monitor, and I also do not want the MacBook to stay at 100 percent battery all day, all the time.

Optimized charging does not prevent the battery from charging to 100%. The battery may still fully charge prior to what the Mac has learned to be your regular pattern of use.

If battery charging is paused or on hold on your Mac - Apple Support

❝ In macOS Big Sur or later, Optimized Battery Charging is designed to improve the lifespan of your battery and reduce the time your Mac spends fully charged. When the feature is enabled, your Mac will delay charging past 80% in certain situations. Your Mac learns your charging routine and aims to ensure that your Mac is fully charged when unplugged.❞

Here is Apple's guidance on the subject.

Batteries - Maximizing Performance - Apple Support

About battery health management in Mac laptops - Apple Support 

❝Worry is the misuse of imagination.❞ – Zadra

one more voice saying essentially the same thing:

Battery Health Management feature tracks your usage history and detects that you do not generally run your battery down to low levels. So when you see less than 100 percent as a full charge, it is charging less than the highest level for longest battery lifetime.

NOTE that charging to 80 percent is a side-effect, NOT the GOAL.

The goal is to have some hurly-burly (percolating activity) around using your battery, either by your actually using it, or by leaving it less than fully charged, so that the cells are not 100 percent charged 100 percent of the time. Battery Health Management will also from time-to-time let the battery decline slightly to 'get some exercise' and run lower (thought to be around twice monthly) if you do not do so by your ordinary use.

The feature tracks you actual usage. If you continue to not require 100 percent charge for a few weeks, it generally will revert to a lower "full" level. but it takes some experience, which takes some time

If your recent usage patterns demand top battery capacity, the battery will charge completely to be sure you are not stuck out in the wild with no power.

tunacik wrote:

Hello,

I have the Optimized Battery Charging option enabled in Settings. I have had the MacBook for almost 2 months now, using the same USB-C cable (connected to a hub, which allows me to use an external monitor.

I read that my MacBook would learn my charging pattern and prevent the battery from charging to 100 percent to prolong battery life.

I would like to ask why is my MacBook Pro 2024 still charging to 100 percent even after more than a month of regular use. I basically cannot disconnect the USB-C cable since I am using it to connect to a monitor, and I also do not want the MacBook to stay at 100 percent battery all day, all the time.

Thanks

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Optimized Battery Charging inactive

give it 2 months....and report back.

Let the software work for you; forget about it.

The rule of thumb—if you are near the mains leave it plugged in, if you need the portability then run on the battery only—this is how you help optimize your battery charging and extend the working life of your battery by reducing the cycle count.

It's my opinion and experience that Optimized Battery Charging (OBC) is on somewhat of a timer. This timer is reset whenever the charger is disconnected, then reconnected, even if only for a second or two. I believe the last time I checked a couple of years ago (on a 2020 M1 MBA), this period of time was about two weeks (more or less) but likely takes many other factors (of which I do not know of) into consideration. If I did not unplug the MacBook, OBC would kick in and start limiting the charge amount to ~80%, letting it drop to that amount and keeping it there as long as I left the MacBook plugged into mains. If it was unplugged from mains, then plugged back in, it would again start charging to 100% and keep it there until the ~two weeks had passed.

Again, this was my experience back then and things may or may not have changed. I use a charge limiting app now so Apple's OBC does not activate/deactivate regardless of my usage.

Seems to be outdated information. I run on AC most of the time and regularly swap connections of my two 16" MBPs (one connected to a dock with a 5K:2K display run in clamshell mode, the other just to a MagSafe power cord run with the lid open), so they are unplugged and plugged back in 1-2 times a day. Both usually hold at 80%. The one I'm typing this on was used for a couple of hours on battery today, came home and plugged it in, and it's now paused at 80%.

Thanks for the updated info @neuroanatomist

As I mentioned, it was years ago when I last tested this (many OS changes since then) and I have not revisited the feature since that time; I now use AlDente which handles the charging limit.