Hi Product Hunt,
I am one of the developers of AlDente Pro.
After the battery of my MacBook died just after a year because it was plugged in at 100% most of the time, we knew we had to do something about it and the idea for AlDente was born.
Why do I need AlDente Pro?
Li-ion and polymer batteries (like the one in your MacBook) last the longest when operated between 20% and 60%. Keeping your battery at 100% most of the time will significantly shorten the lifespan of your MacBooks battery and replacing an old battery is not only harmful to the environment but also costs up to $ 199. With AlDente installed, you can set a charging limit in a more healthy charging range, and with more features like Sailing Mode or Heat Protection, you can keep your battery healthy even longer.
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@apphousekitchen Where you got this 20% - 60% be the same range statement? I hope it's documented somewhere by Apple.
Hi @jwq1, Apple already does this with its optimised battery charging feature. However, this feature is very unreliable and you as a user can't control it. We use the same pathways to control the charging behaviour of your MacBook.
Very interesting product, congratulations on the launch. I remember the latest edition of Mac OS had brought in some optimizations on battery life. This included the option where the OS stops charging after 80 percent, and learns from battery usage. Resulting in more efficient battery life. How does AlDente play with it? ?makers
@jaipandya Thank you Jai! We advise our users to turn MacOS battery optimisations off while using AlDente, since our app taps into the same low-level system calls as the native feature.
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This was an instant buy for me. The Apple battery optimization doesn't really work - it will sometimes stop at 80%, but most of the time load to 100. Also I like to adjust my own settings. Now I hope that your product works as promised. Do I have to switch on the Intel mode if I don't have a M1, or does it still work? The Intel mode feature is somehow confusing, because users don't know how and why to enable it!
@atmos_black Glad you are enjoying it! :) Intel mode is more of a legacy feature for MacBooks that don't support the newer features. If you have a MacBook with Thunderbolt ports (2016 and newer), everything should work as expected without enabling Intel mode.
Thank you for the great feedback. We will try and make the description of Intel Mode clearer in future updates.
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Thing of note: supporting M1 Macs only (Q to devs: as of the moment or Intel support in the pipeline?)
Otherwise, great idea!
@jkspn AlDente actually supports Intel Macs too! Any MacBook with Thunderbolt (from 2016 on) is fully supported, while even older MacBooks are supported with a reduced feature set.
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@david_wernhart will give this a try! I have a 2015 MBP 15, technically it has thunderbolt (2) but I get what you mean. Thank you!
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Just ... Wrong. Computers batteries -like smartphones- are now optimized to stay healthy however you plug or not plug them
@valdecarpentrie
That's not right. Modern battery control electronics does do many things to protect your battery (overcurrent protection, deep discharge protection and more), but staying at high percentages for a long time (especially when high temperatures are envolved) does definitely harm battery health.
Apple's new "Optimised Battery Charging" option does indeed address this problem, but many find that it takes very long to adapt to the user's behaviour and does not offer any control.
Hope that clears things up.
Cheers!
@valdecarpentrie@apphousekitchen But doesn't macOS stop using battery power at 100% and instead uses power directly from the power adapter? Which in turn saves battery and its longevity?
?makers I'm a student and my Mac's battery is already on the verge of becoming dead. I have already used much of my savings on tution and boarding. Could you maybe offer a free pro version??
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