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AlDente gives you full control over your MacBook’s charging behavior. From setting charging limits to advanced battery protection—discover the features that help you keep your battery healthy for the long run.

Check out our changelog and latest releases on GitHub.
Changelog

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Automatic Discharge

Our feature, “Automatic Discharge,” makes discharging your MacBook while it’s plugged in easier than ever. This new feature takes Discharge to the next level by automatically discharging your MacBook when the Charge Limit set in AlDente is lower than the current battery percentage. This eliminates the need for manual activation of Discharge as AlDente now takes care of it for you. Please note that Automatic Discharge is automatically disabled during the Calibration Mode. Additionally, the Discharge button will be hidden since AlDente is now in control of the discharge process. If you wish to stop the discharge process, simply increase the Charge Limit to the exact or above the current battery percentage.

Screenshot

How to Activate Automatic Discharge?

To activate Automatic Discharge in AlDente Pro, follow these steps:

  1. Open AlDente Pro on your MacBook.
  2. Click on the AlDente Pro icon in the menu bar or in the dock.
  3. Open the AlDente settings by clicking on the “gear” button.
  4. Click on the “Charge” tab.
  5. Enable the slider next to “Automatic Discharge” in the Charging section.

Done, Automatic Discharge is now enabled.

Example

The current battery percentage of the MacBook is 92% and the MacBook is plugged in. Automatic Discharge is activated in Settings/Charge Settings in AlDente. The Charge Limit in AlDente gets set to a lower level, such as 80% for example. Afterward, Automatic Discharge will automatically discharge the MacBook to 80%. When the Charge Limit of 80% is reached, AlDente will switch to charging paused and stay at 80%.

Calibration Mode

Your notebook’s battery has a hard job. It has to supply the whole system with precious energy while you are on the go and sit still and retain all that power juice when you are plugged in at your desk. Even more, it also must help out the power supply when your system demands more than it can deliver. With all these important tasks, it is not surprising that batteries can sometimes forget how high (or how low) they can go. This phenomenon is called “Battery Miscalibration” and occurs when the battery management system is out of sync with the battery. For most people, this manifests in their notebooks turning off at 50% or even higher percentages and other unusual charging behavior, such as rapidly decreasing battery capacity. If you keep your battery at lower percentages for a longer time with no or little charging/discharging, this is very likely to happen at some point.

If you experience such symptoms, attempting to recalibrate your battery is usually a good idea. This procedure involves letting your battery drain to 0% (or as close as you can get), charging it back up to 100%, and waiting an hour or two before you start to discharge your device again. If the battery management system is significantly disturbed, it can also help to do this procedure more than one time.

Even if you are not currently suffering from battery miscalibration, you keep your device plugged in at lower percentages over an extended amount of time to avoid battery degradation, recalibrating your battery every other week can prevent battery miscalibration from happening.

AlDente Pro allows you to recalibrate your battery with the press of a button. You can activate this feature in Settings → Charge Settings → Calibration mode. Once activated, AlDente Pro will discharge your battery to 15% (even when you have your MacBook plugged in), charge back up to 100%, and stay there for an hour before it starts discharging again to your desired charging percentage. To streamline this process and avoid unnecessary delays, heat protection is deactivated during Calibration Mode, minimizing any potential negative effects since this mode is used only biweekly.

When Should I Use the Calibration Mode?

If you barely use your MacBook battery-powered or use it only for a short time battery-powered, you should use the Calibration Mode regularly to keep your battery calibrated.

How often should I use the Calibration mode?

This primarily depends on how often you use your MacBook battery powered. If you do not use your MacBook battery-powered at all, you should use the Calibration Mode at least every other week.

Example

You used your MacBook plugged in for a week and now it is time to run the Calibration Mode again. Your MacBook is currently plugged in and your battery percentage is currently at the set charge limit of 80%. Go into Settings/Charge Settings and click on “Start Calibration”. AlDente will discharge your MacBook to 15%, this might take a while depending on your usage. When your MacBook reaches 15%, AlDente will start charging your MacBook to 100%. When 100% SoC is reached, your MacBook will stay at 100% for one hour. After one hour, AlDente will automatically discharge your battery again to the previous Charge Limit, which in this example was 80%.

You can read more about why calibration is needed at batteryuniversity.com.

Charge Limiter

With the help of the feature Charge Limit you can set which charge level your MacBook should hold when it is plugged in. The charge limit can be set in two ways. Either you move the slider to the desired position or you click directly into the percentage display below the Charge Limit and enter the desired charge limit yourself. If the current charge level is above the desired charge level, the MacBook pauses charging at the current charge level. To discharge the MacBook to the desired charge level, you have to use the Discharge feature. See this article for more information: Feature Explanation: Discharge. If the current charge level is below the desired charge limit, then the MacBook will be charged until the desired charge level is reached. If the MacBook has reached the desired charge limit, charging is paused and only power from the AC adapter is used.

Which charge limit should I set so that my battery lasts as long as possible?

There are many studies on this topic, which always come up with different values. This mainly depends on the fact that there are many different lithium ion batteries. The batteries in the MacBooks are also constantly developed further and so there is hardly a MacBook generation with exactly the same batteries as the previous generation. As a rule of thumb for a very gentle charge level, 50% has become established. However, 80% is probably also a good to very good charge level for battery longevity. In summary, it can be said that a charge limit between 50 and 80% is very good for the longevity of a battery.

Example 1

The current charge level of the MacBook is 80% and the MacBook is plugged in and charging. AlDente is started and the charge limit is set to 50% with the slider. Once the charge limit is set to 50%, charging of the MacBook will stop and the MacBook will remain at 80% charge.

Example 2

The current charge level of the MacBook is 17% and the MacBook is plugged in and charging. AlDente is started and the charge limit is set to 60% directly in the percentage display. The MacBook continues to charge until the charge limit of 60% is reached. Then the charging of the MacBook is stopped and the MacBook remains at 60% charge level.

Control MagSafe LED

With AlDente Pro 1.20 we are launching the first beta version of our new feature called Control MagSafe LED. This new feature brings the ability to AlDente Pro to control the color of the MagSafe LED to better indicate the current charging state of your MacBook battery. In general, a green LED means that the charge limit set in AlDente is reached and an orange LED means that the MacBook is charging or discharging toward the charge limit. However, depending on which MacBook model you have, your selected settings in AlDente, and which feature of AlDente is active the behavior of Control MagSafe LED might be slightly different. Furthermore, if you are using a MagSafe 3 MacBook, you can also choose between a static or blinking orange light during discharging.

Behavior on MagSafe 3 MacBooks

To activate Control MagSafe LED go to Settings/Appearance/MagSafe LED and enable Control MagSafe LED. From now on, the MagSafe LED will be green when the set charge limit in AlDente is reached and orange when the MacBook is charging or discharging toward the charge limit. If you prefer your MagSafe LED to blink orange during discharge, you can activate the feature “Blink Orange during Discharge”. Furthermore, if the MagSafe LED is too bright or bothering you, you can enable the feature “Always Off” which will switch off the MagSafe LED completely. Depending on your selected charge settings in AlDente Pro, certain edge cases regarding the MagSafe LED might occur. The following list tries to explain the behavior of the LED in most of these edge cases.

  • Charge Limit reached or above it: Green
  • Charging paused because of Sailing Mode: Green
  • Charging paused because of “Stop charging when sleeping” before Charge Limit: Orange
  • Charging paused because of “Stop charging when powered off” before Charge Limit: Orange
  • Charging paused because of Heat Protection: Orange
  • Top Up: Green when 100% is reached.
  • Calibration Mode: LED will turn green again when the Calibration Mode is done and the charge limit is reached.

Supported MacBook models with MagSafe 3

  • MacBook Pro (16-inch, M2 Pro/Max, 2023)
  • MacBook Pro (14-inch, M2 Pro/Max, 2023)
  • MacBook Pro (16-inch, M1 Pro/Max, 2021)
  • MacBook Pro (14-inch, M1 Pro/Max, 2021)
  • MacBook Air (M2, 2022)

Behavior on MagSafe 2 MacBooks

To activate Control MagSafe LED go to Settings/Appearance/MagSafe LED and enable Control MagSafe LED. From now on, the MagSafe LED will be green when the set charge limit in AlDente is reached, orange when the MacBook is charging toward the charge limit, and alternately blinking orange and green during discharge. Depending on your selected charge settings in AlDente Pro, certain edge cases regarding the MagSafe LED might occur. The following list tries to explain the behavior of the LED in most of these edge cases.

  • Charge Limit reached or above it: Green
  • Charging paused because of Sailing Mode: Green!
  • Charging paused because of Heat Protection: Orange!
  • Top Up: Green when 100% is reached!
  • Calibration Mode: LED will turn green again when the Calibration Mode is done and the charge limit is reached.

Supported MacBook models with MagSafe 2

  • MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)
  • MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)
  • MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)
  • MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014)
  • MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2014)
  • MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013)
  • MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2013)
  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)
  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013)

Disable Sleep until Charge Limit

When your MacBook is in sleep, third-party apps are not able to run and make any changes. Therefore, AlDente is not able to make any changes to the charging behavior of your MacBook while it is in sleep. As a result, your MacBook would either charge to 100% when it is plugged in and your MacBook goes into sleep or your MacBook would pause charging at the current charge level if you have the feature “Stop Charging while sleeping” activated. For this reason, we implemented the feature “Disable Sleep until Charge Limit”. When this feature is activated, AlDente will disable sleep until the charge limit is reached.

Example 1

Your MacBook is plugged in, charging and the battery percentage is currently 65% and the Charge Limit is set to 80%. “Disable Sleep until Charge Limit” is activated and you close the lid of your MacBook. AlDente will keep your MacBook charging until the set Charge Limit of 80% is reached. When the Charge Limit is reached, AlDente will activate sleep again and your MacBook will go to sleep after the set time in macOS Preferences. When you open the lid and start using your MacBook again after a while, the battery percentage will be at 80%.

Example 2

Your MacBook is plugged in, charging and the battery percentage is currently 32% and the Charge Limit is set to 80%. “Disable Sleep until Charge Limit” is activated and you close the lid of your MacBook. You need to use your MacBook on the go after only a couple of minutes, therefore, you unplug your MacBook although the charge limit is not reached yet. AlDente notices that your MacBook is unplugged and will activate sleep again. When you start using your MacBook again, the charge level is exactly where it was when the MacBook was unplugged.

Question 1: Will the display be turned off while the MacBook is closed but not asleep because of AlDente?
Yes, the display will be turned off while sleep is disabled and the lid is closed.

Question 2: What happens when I unplug my MacBook while AlDente has disabled sleep?
AlDente will recognize that your MacBook is not plugged in anymore and will enable sleep again. However, it can take a while until your MacBook will be in sleep. Depending on your chosen settings in Preferences of macOS.

Discharge

The Discharge feature helps optimize your MacBook’s battery health by allowing it to discharge to a lower, healthier charge level while still plugged in. Here’s how it works: you set a desired charge limit below the current charge level, then activate Discharge. AlDente will simulate unplugging your MacBook, and the battery will discharge until it reaches the chosen charge limit. Once the target level is reached, AlDente reconnects the internal charging, and your MacBook will only draw power from the charger. The Discharge feature automatically deactivates once the process is complete.

When to Use the Discharge Feature

Activate the Discharge feature whenever your MacBook’s current battery level is higher than the charge limit you’ve set in AlDente.

Why Sleep Mode is Disabled

If you’re using Clamshell mode (external monitor connected, MacBook lid closed), AlDente will disable sleep mode to ensure the Discharge function operates correctly. This is due to certain technical constraints of MacBooks.

Example of the Discharge Feature in Action:

  1. Your MacBook is currently at 90% charge and is plugged in.
  2. You open AlDente and set the charge limit to 80%.
  3. Once the charge limit is set, charging will stop, but the battery will remain at 90%.
  4. After activating the Discharge feature, AlDente will internally disconnect the charger, and the battery will begin to discharge.
  5. The discharge process continues until the battery reaches the 80% charge limit, at which point AlDente reconnects the internal charging, and your MacBook will only draw power from the charger.

By using the Discharge feature, you can extend your MacBook’s battery lifespan and slow down the battery aging process over time.

Fast User Switching

Starting with version 1.15, AlDente now supports Apple’s Fast User Switching. This feature is activated by default, but a few steps are necessary to ensure it functions correctly.

How to Set Up AlDente for Multiple Users:

  1. Install AlDente on Each Account: Make sure AlDente is installed on all user accounts you plan to use.
  2. Use AlDente Normally: Utilize the Charge Limiter to pause charging and manage battery health as usual.

Note: It may take a minute or two for AlDente to stabilize after switching users.

Compatibility with AlDente Pro and Free

Both AlDente Pro and Free versions support Fast User Switching, and they are interchangeable across user accounts. However, features from the current version will only be active on the logged-in user account. To prevent brief charging periods while switching users, AlDente Pro’s “Stop Charging When App Closed” feature should be enabled.

What happens if AlDente is not installed on the other user account?

As soon as you switch from the user account which has AlDente installed and charging is paused, your MacBook will start charging to 100%. However, if you have AlDente Pro and the feature “Stop charging when app closed” is enabled, the charge limit will persist.

Scenarios and Behavior

Scenario 1

With a charge limit set to 80% on both User A and User B, switching between these accounts will maintain the 80% charge.

Scenario 2

If User A has a charge limit of 80% and User B has 90%, the MacBook will charge 90% when switching to User B.

Scenario 3

If User A is charging to 80% from 70% and User B has a charge limit of 70%, the MacBook will stop charging at 70% when switching to User B.

Why Does the MacBook Briefly Charge When Switching Users?

When switching users or logging out, third-party apps like AlDente close, causing the charge limit to reset to 100%. Upon logging into a new user, AlDente restarts and resumes the charge limit. Using AlDente Pro with “Stop Charging When App Closed” enabled prevents these short charging periods.

For more details, explore our Feature “Stop Charging When App Closed”.

By following these guidelines, you can effectively manage your MacBook’s battery health across multiple user accounts using AlDente.

Hardware Battery Percentage

With AlDente Pro 1.16, we are introducing a new feature called “Hardware Battery Percentage”. The battery percentage shown by macOS is actually not the real battery percentage that the battery management system reports. The two battery percentages usually differ by 2-7%. When “Hardware Battery Percentage” is enabled, AlDente Pro will read out the Hardware Battery Percentage directly from the battery management system and will use it for all the other features such as Charge Limiter, Sailing Mode, Top Up,…

Why are there two different battery percentages in MacBooks?

Of course, I don’t know what the reason behind Apple’s decision is to show a different battery percentage but here are my best guesses: Battery longevity and convenience. Apple also knows that charging to 100% most of the time is bad for batteries. Therefore, macOS showing 100% SoC when the battery management system only reports 95% makes sense since people will unplug earlier because they think it is already fully charged. Furthermore, charging to 95% Hardware Battery Percentage is much faster than completely charging to 100% since the last 5% usually takes a really long time. Therefore, users could get annoyed with the long charging time.

Which battery percentage is more accurate?

The Hardware Battery Percentage is definitely the much more accurate scale for the current charge level of the battery. Just keep in mind that even the hardware battery percentage which gets directly reported by the battery management system is still not 100% accurate and is more like a good guess.

Which Battery Percentage should I use in AlDente Pro?

I personally prefer to use the Hardware Battery Percentage because I always want to know as accurately as possible what the exact charge level of the battery is. Furthermore, all the other features of AlDente Pro are more precise since the Hardware Battery Percentage is the charge level which is more accurate. However, if you prefer that AlDente uses the same battery percentage which macOS also displays, you can of course disable the Hardware Battery Percentage feature.

Example

Hardware Battery Percentage is disabled and charging is currently paused at the set Charge Limit of 90% in AlDente Pro. The Hardware battery percentage is approximately 87%. You enable the Hardware Battery Percentage. The Charge Limit will stay at 90% but since the hardware battery percentage is only 87%, the MacBook will start charging until it reaches the Charge Limit of 90%. When the Charge limit is reached, the macOS battery percentage will be around 94%.

Heat Protection

Several factors can lead to rapid battery wear, with elevated battery temperatures being a primary cause. Excessive use of the CPU or GPU can significantly raise the temperature of your entire MacBook, battery included. Additionally, rapid charging or discharging intensifies the heat generated by the battery. The most severe conditions arise when multiple elements that increase battery temperature coincide, for example, heavy CPU usage paired with quick charging. Under these circumstances, battery temperatures can swiftly surpass 40°C.

To address this issue, we introduced the “Heat Protection” feature. Once activated, Heat Protection ensures AlDente automatically halts the charging process if the battery temperature rises beyond a predetermined threshold, preventing further escalation of temperature.

Configuring Heat Protection

To activate Heat Protection, please:

  • Navigate to the Features Category in AlDente Settings.
  • Enable Heat Protection by toggling the slider to “enabled”.
  • Set your desired temperature limit by clicking on the ‘Max Temp.’ text field and selecting a limit.

What is the best temperature limit?

Apple advises against operating your MacBook in environments where the ambient temperature surpasses 35°C. Consequently, setting the Heat Protection trigger at 35°C is advisable. Opting for a trigger temperature below 35°C might enhance protection. However, this could be impractical or lead to charging issues depending on your surrounding climate, your use of your MacBook, and your specific model.

Disabled during Calibration Mode

To streamline the calibration process, we have chosen to disable Heat Protection during this mode. This adjustment helps avoid unnecessary delays, and given that the calibration occurs only biweekly, any negative effects are minimal. Additionally, theoretically, an uninterrupted calibration yields slightly better results.

Understanding Hysteresis

We’ve introduced a specific hysteresis mechanism to minimize frequent toggling between charging states and somewhat reduce prolonged charging durations. Once your battery’s temperature reaches the predefined threshold in Heat Protection, charging halts and a five-minute countdown begins. After this interval, one of two scenarios will unfold: If the temperature remains over the limit, charging will continue to be on hold, and another five-minute countdown will initiate. Conversely, if the temperature has dropped below the threshold, charging will resume for at least five minutes, even if the temperature climbs above the limit during this period. Should the temperature still exceed the threshold after these five minutes, charging will pause again; if not, the charging process will proceed for at least another five minutes.

Example

Your MacBook is currently charging with the battery level at 45% and set to stop at 80%. With Heat Protection enabled and its limit set to 35°C, the feature is on standby. The combination of intense tasks and charging is causing your battery temperature to climb, now at 32°C. Should this temperature surpass 35°C, AlDente will instantly pause charging, allowing the battery to cool depending on your MacBook’s workload and other variables. Charging will resume once the temperature dips below 35°C and five minutes have passed since the limit was reached, continuing until it hits the 80% limit or the temperature rises above 35°C once more.

Intel Mode

Important

Since AlDente 1.27, AlDente for Intel MacBooks has changed significantly which made the Intel Mode obsolete. Therefore, the Intel Mode is not available anymore starting with AlDente 1.27. You can read more about how AlDente works on Intel MacBooks here.

Intel Mode uses a different technical solution to control the charging behavior of MacBooks. This method only works with Intel MacBooks. On the other hand, this method works “permanently”, which means even if you boot into Windows via Bootcamp. However, there are several disadvantages to the Intel Mode. First, all other functions except the Charge Limiter don’t work anymore. Second, the Charge Limiter will always use the Hardware Battery Percentage which can deviate from the macOS battery percentage by up to 10%.

Example

Someone uses his MacBook a lot via Bootcamp in Windows and wants to set a charge limit also in Windows. To do this, you first have to boot into macOS and set the desired charge limit of, for example, 70%. Then you can boot into Windows and charging will stop in the range of 60%-80%.

FAQ: Does Intel mode need to be enabled on every Intel MacBook for AlDente to work?

No, Intel Mode only needs to be enabled for the special case of using AlDente in Windows.

Live Status Icons

Icon

State

Energy Source

Battery Charging

Battery Discharging

Plugged in and Charging

Power Supply

Yes

No

Plugged in and Charging Paused

Power Supply

No

No

Plugged in and Discharging

Battery

No

Yes

Unplugged and Discharging

Battery

No

Yes

Power Flow

Power Flow goes beyond the basics, providing a visual representation of your MacBook’s power usage in real time. Power Flow is a dynamic feature that uses a Sankey diagram to illustrate the power flow in your MacBook. It graphically displays how much power flows from your charger to the battery and MacBook or from the battery to your MacBook. With Power Flow, you can visually understand your MacBook’s energy consumption, which helps you make informed decisions about charging and the usage of AlDente Pro’s features.

How to Use Power Flow

Using Power Flow is easy. Once you launch our app, you just need to click on the “gear” icon in the upper right corner and choose the “Stats” category. Afterward, you will see the Sankey diagram on the main dashboard. It’ll show you the power flow in real time, updating continuously as your MacBook’s energy consumption changes. If you want to see the Power Flow Diagram in the Menubar popover, just enable the “Show in Popover” slider underneath the Power Flow Diagram.

The Diagram Explained

The animation illustrates a continuous flow of energy from the left to the right. On the right-hand side, you can observe the energy consumption of your MacBook, along with the power amount used to charge the battery, if applicable. The source of this energy is demonstrated on the left side. When your MacBook is plugged in and powered by the charger, you’ll notice a lightning bolt symbol on the left, followed by the charger’s power output. Alternatively, when your battery is discharging, the battery icon will appear on the left, alongside a visual depiction of the discharge rate.

AlDente Screenshot

Example 1: Charge Limiter

For a majority of users, this will likely be the most frequent situation. When your MacBook is connected and the designated Charge Limit is attained, the Power Flow diagram illustrates the amount of energy being transferred from the charger to the MacBook.

AlDente Screenshot

Example 2: Discharge

When utilizing AlDente’s Discharge feature or operating your MacBook unplugged, the Power Flow diagram will visually indicate that your MacBook’s energy source is the battery itself and show the current discharge rate as well.

AlDente Screenshot

Example 3: Charging

When your MacBook is plugged in and the battery is actively charging, our innovative Power Flow feature provides real-time visualization of the total power being drawn from the power supply. Moreover, it breaks down this energy flow, distinctly showcasing how much is allocated to the MacBook’s operation and how much is utilized to charge the battery, giving you a complete picture of your MacBook’s energy usage.

AlDente Screenshot

Example 4: Underpowered Charger

Explore unique scenarios with Power Flow, like using a non-standard power supply for your MacBook. This could occur if you’re charging your MacBook through a monitor with a weaker power supply or opting for a smaller, lighter charger for portability. Some users might also intentionally select a lower-output charger to reduce the charging speed, aiming to prolong battery life. However, if your MacBook is running intensive tasks and the charger’s power output falls short, your battery seamlessly steps in to provide the required energy. Power Flow efficiently visualizes these scenarios – displaying the individual power output from the charger and battery on the left, while showcasing the MacBook’s total energy consumption on the right.

Sailing Mode

The Sailing Mode is an addition to the Charge Limiter. While the charging of the MacBook is paused, i.e. the charge level is exactly at the set charge limit, the power supply is primarily used as a power source. However, small discharges of the battery still occur when a lot of power is needed for a short time. Then the battery of the MacBook steps in as a buffer. If the charge level drops below the charge limit due to these short discharges, AlDente recharges the battery to the desired charge limit. A second effect of why the battery loses charge is time. If a battery is left for weeks without charging or discharging, it will also lose charge over time. Also, in this case, AlDente would detect that the charge level has dropped below the charge limit and would recharge the battery to the selected charge limit. Furthermore, if you unplug your MacBook only for a short time and use only a couple of percent, AlDente will charge your MacBook again. To avoid unnecessary “micro-charging”, we have included the Sailing Mode feature. This allows you to set a lower limit, from which the battery will be charged up to the charge limit again. Depending on the settings and usage, it can take a long time until this lower limit is reached. So don’t worry if you do not see your battery percentage drop even when the Sailing Mode is activated. The sailing range is also visually indicated by the dashed line in the pop-over slider bar. Furthermore, the Sailing Mode will be temporarily deactivated during Top Up and the Calibration Mode.

Which interval should I choose?

Unfortunately, we could not find any scientific studies on this topic yet. Therefore, we assume a value of 5-10%, depending on your own judgment and use case.

Example 1

The current charge level of the MacBook is 80% and the MacBook is plugged in and charging is paused because the charge limit on AlDente Pro is set to 80%. Sailing Mode is activated and an interval of 5% is set. The MacBook will not charge again until the lower limit of the interval, 75%, is reached.

Example 2

The current charge level of the MacBook is 77% and the MacBook is plugged in and charging. AlDente is started, the charge limit is set to 80%, the Sailing Mode is activated, and the interval is set to 10%, which results in a “sailing range” between 70-80%. The MacBook stops charging since 77% lies within the sailing range.

Example 3

The MacBook is plugged in and charging is paused at the set charge limit of 80%. The Sailing Mode range is set to 10% which means that charging will be triggered again at 70%. The MacBook gets unplugged and is used for a while. It gets plugged in again with 74% of the battery left. The Sailing Mode will pause charging since the lower limit of 70% has not been reached yet. The MacBook gets unplugged again and is used unplugged for longer. Therefore, the battery drops to 62% before it gets plugged in again. This time, charging will start and continue until the upper limit of 80% has been reached.

Help, Sailing Mode doesn’t work on my MacBook!?

The Sailing Mode is not intended to discharge your battery actively. Therefore, your MacBook will barely lose any energy even in Sailing Mode, since the power brick is the main source of energy. So do not worry when the battery percentage does not change even if the Sailing Mode is activated. Sailing Mode is still doing its thing.

Why doesn’t Sailing Mode keep the MacBook’s battery level fluctuating within a specific range?

Contrary to popular belief, cycling a battery within a ‘safe’ range, like 30% to 70%, is actually more detrimental to its lifespan than maintaining it at a stable, optimal level, such as 80%. The cycling process accumulates charge cycles more rapidly, accelerating the wear and tear on the battery compared to leaving the MacBook connected at a stable and healthy charge. That said, this isn’t to suggest that you should refrain from using your MacBook on the go. While MacBooks are designed for mobility, it’s advantageous to keep it at a stable and healthy charge when using it in a stationary setting, like an office, rather than allowing it to continuously cycle.

Schedule

Beta Feature – This feature is still in development and bugs might be possible!

AlDente Pro 1.21 introduces the beta version of our new Schedule feature. This feature allows users to set specific Actions in AlDente to run automatically on predetermined days, times, and intervals. For example, Calibration Mode can be set to run every two weeks. Tasks can be assigned to one of five available Actions: Set Charge Limit, Start Calibration Mode, Top Up, Pause Charging, and Discharge to. Users can also choose from five intervals for these actions to repeat: Daily, Weekdays, Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly, and Never. Alternatively, users can choose to not repeat the actions. Please note that depending on when AlDente refreshes, it may take up to ten minutes for a task to be executed.

Task Actions

  • Top Up – Activates the TopUp feature and will charge to 100% once. Read more about the TopUp feature.
  • Start Calibration Mode – Activates the Calibration Mode. Read more about the Calibration Mode.
  • Set Charge Limit – This Action changes the Charge Limit percentage to the configured value. If the new Charge Limit is higher than the current battery percentage, the MacBook will start charging. Read more about the Charge Limit.
  • Discharge to – Changes the Charge Limit to the chosen percentage and starts discharging toward it. If the percentage chosen to Discharge to is higher than the current Battery Percentage, the MacBook will start charging toward the set percentage. Read more about the Discharge feature.
  • Pause Charging – This Action changes the Charge Limit to the current battery percentage in AlDente. Therefore, charging or discharging will stop.

Repeat Settings

  • Daily – The Task will be repeated every day at the set time.
  • Weekdays – The Task will be repeated from Monday until Friday at the same time every week.
  • Weekly – The Task will be repeated every week on the same day and time.
  • Biweekly – The Task will be repeated every other week on the same day and time.
  • Monthly – The Task will be repeated on the same day and time every month. If the 31. is selected, the Task will only be executed every other month which has 31 days.
  • Never – The Task will not be repeated and will therefore only be executed once when the set time is reached.

Start Task at next Opportunity Explained

AlDente cannot run and make changes to the charging behavior of a MacBook while it is sleeping or turned off. In addition, tasks scheduled to run during these periods will not be executed. To ensure that scheduled tasks are not skipped and are instead run at the next opportunity when the MacBook is turned on or wakes up from sleep, the “Start Task at next Opportunity” feature should be activated. However, this feature should only be enabled if the MacBook is used almost daily to prevent a buildup of accumulated tasks.

Behavior during Sleep

Disclaimer! – Please note that the behavior of MacBooks during sleep seems unpredictable, and we are still working to address this issue in AlDente. As a precaution, please refrain from relying on it until we have resolved the sleep-related uncertainties. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to improve the app.

AlDente is typically unable to modify the charging behavior of a MacBook while it is in sleep mode or powered off. However, some MacBook models may wake up every 20 minutes to 2.5 hours during sleep for a couple of minutes. During these wake-up periods, AlDente may receive CPU time and be able to adjust the charging behavior. If you have scheduled a task during the night and have enabled “Start Task at next Opportunity,” AlDente will execute the task during the next wake-up period.

Task History

The Task History provides a chronological record of when each task was executed, allowing users to track which tasks were triggered and when. This is particularly useful when tasks are not executed due to the MacBook being in sleep mode. Additionally, the Task History is helpful when the “Start Task at next Opportunity” feature is enabled, as it allows users to monitor when tasks were started during or after sleep periods.

Examples

1. Automate the Calibration Mode

We recommend running the Calibration Mode regularly if you are not frequently charging and discharging your device between 0% and 100%. A biweekly interval seems to work for most users. To automate this process, simply follow these steps:

  1. Open the AlDente Settings menu.
  2. Click the + button to add a new task.
  3. Choose “Start Calibration Mode” from the drop-down menu next to “Action.”
  4. Select “Biweekly” from the drop-down menu next to “Repeat.”
  5. Choose the desired start time for the Calibration Mode.
  6. Activate the task by enabling the “Active” slider in the upper right corner.
  7. Enable “Start Task at next Opportunity” to ensure the Task is executed the next time the MacBook is turned on or wakes up from sleep.

By setting up this task, the Calibration Mode will run automatically every two weeks at the designated time.

2. Schedule Top Up for long workdays

To ensure your MacBook has a full battery in the morning every week on a specific day, you can use the Schedule feature to set up a task for automatic Top Up. To automate this process, simply follow these steps:

  1. Open the AlDente Settings menu.
  2. Click the + button to add a new task.
  3. Choose “Top Up” from the drop-down menu next to “Action.”
  4. Select “Weekly” from the drop-down menu next to “Repeat.”
  5. Choose the desired day and set the start time to 01:00.
  6. Activate the task by enabling the “Active” slider in the upper right corner.
  7. Enable “Start Task at next Opportunity” to ensure the Task is executed during a wake-up.
  8. Keep your MacBook plugged in and do not turn it off the evening before to ensure your MacBook is getting charged during the night.

 

Disclaimer! – This automation relies on the MacBook waking up during sleep and allowing AlDente to execute the task. We are still investigating this behavior and it might not work on every system. You can read more about this topic in the paragraph “Behavior during Sleep” above.

Shortcuts

With AlDente Pro 1.19 we are officially launching support for the Apple Shortcuts app. Shortcuts allow you to add automation and configure AlDente the way you want. If you want to read more about the Apple Shortcuts app and what you can do with it, take a look here. The following Shortcuts of AlDente are currently available: Top Up, Pause Charging, Start Discharge, Start Calibration Mode, Set Charge Limit, Get Battery Percentage, Get Charge Limit, Get State, and Get Temperature.

Top Up

This Shortcut starts the Top Up feature of AlDente Pro. In short, it will set the charge limit to 100% and start charging. Read more about the Top Up feature.

Pause Charging

This Shortcut sets the Charge Limit in AlDente to the current charge level. Therefore, the MacBook will immediately stop charging if it is currently charging or stop discharging if it is discharging at that moment.

Start Discharge

This Shortcut basically activates the Discharge feature of AlDente. Therefore, the set Charge Limit in AlDente needs to be lower than the current battery level for Discharge to start. If that is the case, the MacBook will be discharged to the set Charge Limit. You can read more about the feature Discharge here.

Start Calibration Mode

This Shortcut starts the Calibration Mode of AlDente which performs charging and discharging procedures to recalibrate the battery. You can read more about the Calibration Mode here.

Set Charge Limit

This Shortcut sets the target battery percentage in AlDente. If the set percentage is higher than the current battery percentage, the MacBook will start charging. If the set percentage is lower than the current charge level of the MacBook, charging will stop.

Get Battery Percentage

This Shortcut outputs the current battery percentage of AlDente. If you have the Hardware Battery Percentage setting enabled in AlDente, it will also output the Hardware battery percentage. Otherwise, it will output the macOS battery percentage. You can read more about the different kinds of battery percentages here.

Get Charge Limit

This Shortcut returns the current Charge Limit set in AlDente.

Get State

This Shortcut returns the current state of AlDente. The different states of AlDente are Charging, Pause, Sailing, Discharging, Topup, HeatProtect, Calibration, IntelMode, and Exit.

Get Temperature

This Shortcut returns the current temperature of the MacBook battery.

Stop Charging when App Closed

Understanding the behavior of AlDente Pro’s “Stop Charging When App Closed” feature can help manage your MacBook’s battery more efficiently. This feature ensures that the set charge limit remains active even when the AlDente app is closed, but note that it resets to 100% when the MacBook is powered off. This functionality is exclusive to Apple Silicon MacBooks and is particularly useful when switching between macOS users or utilizing the fast user switching feature.

Example Scenarios

Example 1

If the charge limit is set to 80% and charging is paused at 80%, closing AlDente with “Stop Charging When App Closed” enabled will keep the battery at 80%.

Example 2

If the same scenario occurs but with the feature disabled, closing AlDente will reset the charge limit to 100%, and the battery will start charging to full.

Example 3

With the feature enabled and the MacBook powered off, the charge limit reset and will charge to 100%.

Example 4

Logging out of your macOS user while the feature is enabled keeps the charge limit active. After logging back in, you can adjust the limit in AlDente.

Example 5

Logging out with the feature disabled resets the charge limit, and the battery starts charging again. Upon logging into another user, AlDente will reapply the charge limit.

This feature is particularly beneficial in scenarios where multiple users access the MacBook or when frequently switching between user accounts. For more details, check out our comprehensive blog post.

Stop Charging when Sleeping

When your MacBook is sleeping, third-party apps cannot run and make any changes. Therefore, AlDente is not able to make any changes to the charging behavior of your MacBook while it is in sleep. As a result, your MacBook will always charge to 100% when it is plugged in and your MacBook goes to sleep while charging, regardless of the set Charge Limit in AlDente. Therefore, we implemented the feature “Stop charging when sleeping”. When this feature is activated, your Macbook will stop charging right before your MacBook goes to sleep. As a result, your MacBook will stay at the current battery percentage it had just before going to sleep. Therefore, the battery will not charge to 100%.

Example 1

Your MacBook is plugged in and the battery percentage is at the set charge limit of 80%. “Stop charging when sleeping” is activated and you close the lid of your MacBook and it goes to sleep. AlDente will keep your charging paused even while your MacBook is in sleep. When you open the lid and start using your MacBook again, the battery percentage is still at 80%.

Example 2

Your MacBook is plugged in and currently charging to the set charge limit of 85%. “Stop charging when sleeping” is activated and you close the lid of your MacBook and it goes to sleep. At exactly the moment when you closed the lid, your battery percentage was 67%. AlDente will pause charging right before the MacBook goes to sleep and will keep the battery percentage at 67%. When you open the lid and start using your MacBook again, the battery percentage is still at 67% and charging will begin again until the set charge limit of 85% is reached.

Top Up

Usually, while your MacBook is used plugged in, the charge level should be limited to a healthy percentage such as 80%. However, sometimes 80% is not enough to get through a whole workday when on the road. Therefore, we introduced the Top Up feature. When Top Up is activated, it changes the charge limit to 100% once. As long as your MacBook is plugged in, Top Up will keep the battery charged at 100%, but after unplugging it once, Top Up will be deactivated, and the charge limit will change back to whichever value you had set it before activating Top Up.

When should the Top Up feature be used?

Whenever you have a lengthy day on the road where you need all the battery life of your MacBook and do not have the possibility or time to charge it.

Example 1

Your MacBook is plugged in and charging is limited to 80%. You know that you will be on the road for a lot during the day and you might need all the battery life of your MacBook. Activate Top Up and your MacBook will charge to 100%. Unplug your MacBook and use it powered by the battery during the day. After unplugging your MacBook. Top Up will be deactivated and the charge limit will resume to 80%. The next time you plug in your MacBook, it will get charged to 80% and stay there again.

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