General explanation
One of the contributing factors of fast battery degradation is a high battery temperature. The temperature of the battery can be high because of multiple reasons. High CPU or GPU usage will heat up your whole MacBook, including the battery. Furthermore, the faster you charge or discharge a battery, the hotter it gets. The worst-case scenarios are combinations of battery temperature increasing factors, such as high CPU load combined with fast charging. In situations like that, the temperature of the battery can easily exceed 40°C.
To counteract this problem, we implemented the feature “Heat Protection”. When Heat Protection is enabled, AlDente will automatically stop charging when the battery temperature exceeds a set value to avoid a continuous increase of the temperature.
Which Temperature should i choose for heat protection?
Apple recommends that you should avoid using your MacBook at ambient temperatures exceeding 35°C. Therefore, a good starting point would be to set the trigger temperature for Heat Protection at 35°C. However, a lower temperature than 35°C could be even better but depending on your ambient temperature, usage, and MacBook model, a battery temperature of much less than 35°C is sometimes not possible.
Example
Your MacBook is plugged in and charging. The current SoC is 45% and the charge limit is set to 80%. Heat Protection is activated and the trigger temperature of Heat Protection is set as 35°C. Due to heavy workloads on your MacBook and charging, the temperature of your battery rises quickly and is currently 32°C. When the temperature exceeds 35°C, AlDente will immediately pause charging and after a while, the temperature should drop again depending on the workload and other factors. When the temperature falls below 35°C again, AlDente will continue charging again, until the charge limit is reached or until the temperature exceeds 35°C again.
