Keeping the battery healthy

Hi guys,
I tried to look for an answer, but didn't get what I needed. This is my first mac, but I've already owned a laptop before. I use my mac mainly at my desk in ma room where it is always connected and recharging. I sometime bring it to school and use the battery for the day. My question is, is it healthy for the battery to stay connected this often. I hear it's a good idea to do a complete battery cycle once in a while, which I'm used to do.
Is this enough?
Thanks for reading.

I did read it 3-4 times and I keep getting the conclusion that it does not need a calibration.
Portables with built-in batteries
Current Apple portable computer batteries are pre-calibrated and do not require the calibration procedure outlined in this article.
MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009) and later
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009) and later
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009) and later
Since i got a 2011 macbook pro (13-inch) i assume it's already precalibrated. I may have misread the article thought

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Please Advise On The Best Way To Keep Your Battery Healthy And Not Deformed

I am a black macbook (mb) user and have had my mb for 37 months now. after a year and a half, my battery (the first one) was deformed and i was advised to replace it quickly. i was also advised to calibrate my battery occasionally and so i did after that. but in just over a year after i replaced my battery, it is starting to deform and swollen. i have been following the advice and calibrated my battery as advised. my battery is still in normal condition according to the system profiler.
when i first bought my macbook, i was told NOT TO keep recharging my battery whenever i used it and the battery drains because this would make the battery's life shorter. i was also told it is OKAY to have the power plugged in. and so i did that. but it turned out that my battery had deformed from it. most probably from the heat but i don't know.
i use my macbook regularly. i keep it switched on almost 24 hours a day and i keep it well ventilated (i sit it on top of iLap) because i have my internet on 24 hours a day and use the internet regularly. i am not planning to replace my battery just yet even though the battery capacity has gone down to 77%. it's expensive here. i will keep on continuing with the calibrating every now and then. now it might be the magsafe's problem that the battery is deforming too soon. one time, the magsafe fell from my bed onto the floor quite hard. and since then it wasn't working properly. sometimes it heats up and it becomes too hot to hold for long. at times the battery would say 0:00 (time left charging) but the light doesn't change to green so i have to plug it out from my mb and from the main plug and rest it for about 10 seconds and then it runs as normal. i know i probably need to change the adapter soon.
anyway, i'm just asking. for someone who uses his mb regularly or everyday and almost 24 hours a day, what is your best advice on how to keep the battery healthy and in good condition for a long period of time?
sorry for the rambling but thank you.

About Batteries in Modern Apple Laptops
Apple - Batteries - Notebooks
Extending the Life of Your Laptop Battery
Apple - Batteries
Determining Battery Cycle Count
Calibrating your computer's battery for best performance
Battery University

What is the best way to keep the battery built-in last longer?

what is the best way to keep the battery built-in in macbook pro last longer???..
is it by plugged in as many times as we can..and discharge it to 80-90% a week..then charged it back?

My favorite tip for longer battery life: Uninstall Flash

Is it advisable to keep the mac connected to the plug as often as possible while using it? (to keep the battery at 100%)

Reading the advises on the battery (long) life it looks like the main parameter of interest for evaluating the battery performance are the cycle counts.
This also means there it is better to always keep the battery charged while using the mac in order to never let it discharge consuming cycles.
Is it really advisable? Aren't there some possible drawbacks in doing so?
(Risks due to higher temperature, risk of battery malfunctions..)
Thanks in advance.

Welcome to ASC!
In the ~15 years I've been lurking here, there seems to be one recurring theme to posts about battery failure: the statement "I don't understand why my battery died! I never use the computer on battery power!"
As OGELTHORPE points out, use the battery every so often. I try to get 1-2 cycles on mine per month. How you do it depends on your usage pattern. I use mine at a museum where I volunteer one a week and the battery has more than enough capacity to power my MBP through my shift.
Think of your battery in term of human muscles: if we do not exercise a muscle, it will atrophy and become disabled. So it is with your MBP battery.

Can I use my iPad Mini while plugged in thus keeping the battery at 100%?

Can I use my iPad Mini while plugged in thus keeping the battery at 100%?
Or must I use it on battery all the time?

Copied from Texas Mac Man ...
The quickest way (and really the only way) to charge your iPad is with the included 10W USB Power Adapter. iPad will also charge, although more slowly, when attached to a computer with a high-power USB port (many recent Mac computers) or with an iPhone Power Adapter (5W). When attached to a computer via a standard USB port (most PCs or older Mac computers) iPad will charge very slowly (but iPad indicates not charging). Make sure your computer is on while charging iPad via USB. If iPad is connected to a computer that’s turned off or is in sleep or standby mode, the iPad battery will continue to drain.
Apple recommends that once a month you let the iPad fully discharge & then recharge to 100%.
How to Calibrate Your Mac, iPhone, or iPad Battery
http://www.macblend.com/how-to-calibrate-your-mac-iphone-or-ipad-battery/
At this link http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/galaxy-tab-android-tablet,3014-11.html , tests show that the iPad 2 battery (25 watt-hours) will charge to 90% in 3 hours 1 minute. It will charge to 100% in 4 hours 2 minutes. The new iPad has a larger capacity battery (42 watt-hours), so using the 10W charger will obviously take longer. If you are using your iPad while charging, it will take even longer. It's best to turn your new iPad OFF and charge over night. Also look at The iPad's charging challenge explained http://www.macworld.com/article/1150356/ipadcharging.html
Also, if you have a 3rd generation iPad, look at
Apple: iPad Battery Nothing to Get Charged Up About
http://allthingsd.com/20120327/apple-ipad-battery-nothing-to-get-charged-up-abou t/
Apple Explains New iPad's Continued Charging Beyond 100% Battery Level
http://www.macrumors.com/2012/03/27/apple-explains-new-ipads-continued-charging- beyond-100-battery-level/
New iPad Takes Much Longer to Charge Than iPad 2
http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/03/new-ipad-takes-much-longer-to-charge-than-ipa d-2.html
Apple Batteries - iPad http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipad.html
Extend iPad Battery Life (Look at pjl123 comment)
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3921324?tstart=30
New iPad Slow to Recharge, Barely Charges During Use
http://www.pcworld.com/article/252326/new_ipad_slow_to_recharge_barely_charges_d uring_use.html
Tips About Charging for New iPad 3
http://goodscool-electronics.blogspot.com/2012/04/tips-about-charging-for-new-ip ad-3.html
Prolong battery lifespan for iPad / iPad 2 / iPad 3: charging tips
http://thehowto.wikidot.com/prolong-battery-lifespan-for-ipad
 Cheers, Tom

Keep the battery inside the Macbook at all times?!

So, there's this guy from the Apple store that told me "You are not supposed to pull out your battery. You only pull it out if the battery is bad. It could actually damage your computer by not having the battery inside." after he failed to make my battery come out (The clear plastic tab came off and I only got my macbook for a week!!). Is that true? Because my friend told me when I use the wall adapter I shouldn't keep the battery inside..Any help is appreciated.

pugxl wrote:
Because my friend told me when I use the wall adapter I shouldn't keep the battery inside..Any help is appreciated.
Of gosh no that is not right. You CAN operate (meaning it's possible) the computer w/o the battery in. It is not however, recommended. RUnning the computer w/o battery will decrease the processor as it runs in a safer type mode to reduce the chance of failure.
Also keep in mind that when you have the battery removed and are using the computer a simple tug of the MagSafe (very sensitive) will cause the entire computer to turn off improperly and further risking damage.
All Apple laptops are intelligent when charging the battery. Unlike some other things where it's bad to always have it plugged in as it will cause "overcharging" the Apple batteries do not do this. When it is plugged in the computer charges the battery to be full (or more then 95%). Once that is finished it stops charging the battery and runs off the power from the wall only until the battery falls below 95% then it will begin recharging.
So all in all, you CAN remove the battery if you need to, but to answer your question you really shouldn't remove the battery...The only reason i've ever had to remove my battery from my MB or my iBook was to do work inside the computer (upgrading RAM/HD) and that has been over the course of 5 years.
Message was edited by: cph2133

Should i keep the battery on when it is connected to the AC

hello
i have a question:
my macbook is always vonnected to the ac,, i don't move it around"seldom"
so i'm owndering,,will this affect my battery,,
should i keep the battery on when it is connected to the AC?
or should i remove it?
thanks in advance

Hi multiple 1,
Modern battery technology now prevent battery becoming overcharged or create memory effect, so like First Magus said, it is ok to leave the battery in your macbook all the time.
But apple also recommend user to use their battery once a while or calibrate to refresh the battery cell.
Good Luck.

Do I get better results/ keeping the battery's life longer by charging only when it comes to 5-10% or should I let it empty and then charge it? Someone told me also to turn it off while I charge it... So help what is the best way to keep long life battery

I got the new iPad on June 2012 and I wish to keep the long life of the battery as much as I can. I always and only use the cable that comes with the product and never charge it through computer.
Should I:
1) wait till baterry is completely empty, pratectly dead and then charge it?
2) charge it when it reach 5%-10%.
3) turn off the iPad when I charge the battery?
Thank you apple support :)

The quickest way (and really the only way) to charge your iPad is with the included 10W USB Power Adapter. iPad will also charge, although more slowly, when attached to a computer with a high-power USB port (many recent Mac computers) or with an iPhone Power Adapter (5W). When attached to a computer via a standard USB port (most PCs or older Mac computers) iPad will charge very slowly (but iPad indicates not charging). Make sure your computer is on while charging iPad via USB. If iPad is connected to a computer that’s turned off or is in sleep or standby mode, the iPad battery will continue to drain.
Apple recommends that once a month you let the iPad fully discharge & then recharge to 100%.
How to Calibrate Your Mac, iPhone, or iPad Battery
http://www.macblend.com/how-to-calibrate-your-mac-iphone-or-ipad-battery/
At this link http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/galaxy-tab-android-tablet,3014-11.html , tests show that the iPad 2 battery (25 watt-hours) will charge to 90% in 3 hours 1 minute. It will charge to 100% in 4 hours 2 minutes. The new iPad has a larger capacity battery (42 watt-hours), so using the 10W charger will obviously take longer. If you are using your iPad while charging, it will take even longer. It's best to turn your new iPad OFF and charge over night. Also look at The iPad's charging challenge explained http://www.macworld.com/article/1150356/ipadcharging.html
Also, if you have a 3rd generation iPad, look at
Apple: iPad Battery Nothing to Get Charged Up About
http://allthingsd.com/20120327/apple-ipad-battery-nothing-to-get-charged-up-abou t/
Apple Explains New iPad's Continued Charging Beyond 100% Battery Level
http://www.macrumors.com/2012/03/27/apple-explains-new-ipads-continued-charging- beyond-100-battery-level/
New iPad Takes Much Longer to Charge Than iPad 2
http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/03/new-ipad-takes-much-longer-to-charge-than-ipa d-2.html
Apple Batteries - iPad http://www.apple.com/batteries/ipad.html
Extend iPad Battery Life (Look at pjl123 comment)
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3921324?tstart=30
New iPad Slow to Recharge, Barely Charges During Use
http://www.pcworld.com/article/252326/new_ipad_slow_to_recharge_barely_charges_d uring_use.html
Tips About Charging for New iPad 3
http://goodscool-electronics.blogspot.com/2012/04/tips-about-charging-for-new-ip ad-3.html
Prolong battery lifespan for iPad / iPad 2 / iPad 3: charging tips
http://thehowto.wikidot.com/prolong-battery-lifespan-for-ipad
In rare instances when using the Camera Connection Kit, you may notice that iPad does not charge after using the Camera Connection Kit. Disconnecting and reconnecting the iPad from the charger will resolve this issue.
 Cheers, Tom

What and how is the best way to keep the battery strong?

Im new to owning a Macbook Pro and I was wondering how to make sure the battery stays strong?

No: draining to near 0% is not advisable. It's best to charge recharging at 20%:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/04/ask-ars-the-best-way-to-use-a-lithium-ion -battery-redux/
For the rest: use it as you please. But don't forget to use the battery every now and then.

Should I keep the battery in the machine or not?

I've heard some people say that when you're not using your laptop's battery (ie. you're on AC) you should take it out. This supposedly stops it from "wearing out" too quickly or something in that direction. Is there any truth to this?

Well, I thought the warmer Li-ion batteries get (for longer periods of time?), the faster they lose capacity. So when your notebook gets hot, it's best to take the battery out when you're on AC. I don't bother doing that with the MacBook because of the coin slot, but it makes sense and I have done this with my other notebook. I don't know if what I said is factually accurate, but that's what sales people have told me in the past.
And I do realise that when the battery is fully charged, the MacBook will run soley on AC power, I'm just saying that the notebook itself can heat up the battery.
A quick search got me this for example: http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm
I'm sure this has been discussed before, but any other thoughts would be more than welcome.
Billy

Using Macbook as a HTPC, should I keep the battery in it?

So today, I had a quick brown out from the wind. Since the macbook I use connected to my TV as a HTPC doesn't have a battery, it instantly turned off.
I took the battery our cause it got real real fat. There is known issue with these batteries that for some reason, they start to inflate so to speak, causing the battery to bevel and it looks like it has a tumor growing inside the case.
I tossed the battery out cause it is a past its cycle anyway but I head that some of the time, this happens to batteries when they are plugged in to the power adapter all the time, which this was.
Since I wont use the battery much, I can get a cheap generic battery so in the case of another power brown out, at least it wont kill the laptop, sort of a UPS backup.
So what do you all think? Should I buy the new battery and not worry about the fat battery syndrome? Or throw in a few extra bucks and get a real UPS system just for the macbook?
Thanks!

One problem with running your MacBook without a battery is your MacBook will reduce the processor speed while it is operated with the battery out of it. See Mac Support article http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2332 and http://www.gearlog.com/2008/11/applenotebooks_take_hugeperf.php
You can get a battery for less than $35 on eBay http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?LHBIN=1&_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A4044&rt=nc&_nkw=m acbookbatterywhite&_dmpt=Laptop_Batteries&_sticky=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_sop=15&sc=1

Do I need to keep the battery in all the time or can I use on mains only

Hi, Does anyone know if it's ok to leave the battery out and use my mbp with the magsafe power adapter only. I mean will it harm the computer doing this. The reason I ask is I rarely use my mbp away from my desk I don't use it on battery power much and with the battery in I've noticed it's gets hot.
Thanks in advance

There is something else to consider. Your processor speed will be reduced and you are much more at risk of losing data should the power go out unexpectedly:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2332?viewlocale=en_US
Apple's recommendation is that you not run without the battery.

My phone won't keep the battery percentage on and it keeps changing to vibrate when I have it on silent. Also when I try to clear space for the new update it gives me less storag

MHmu phone isn't working properly and I don't know how to fix it

I went back to iOS 7 and my backup file is restoring but when its done nothing is on my phone still and only takes 11-15 minutes to restore the backup instead of taking 25+ minutes like usual so I guess the backup is corrupted. How can I fix this?

Does keeping a macbook pro plugged in even when fully charged damage the battery in any way?

Does keeping a macbook pro plugged in even when fully charged damage the battery?

no it will not, your battery stops charging when it reaches 100%. you can verify this if you'd like to through system report - power.
once in a while however, it's best to use it under it's own power and charge it back up once it's down to 75% to keep the battery in optimal condition.

Does it harm the battery to leave the MacBook pluged in all of the time?

Does it harm the battery to leave the MacBook pluged in all of the time?

It is OK to leave your battery hooked to the charger most of the time. The only time I unhook mine from the charger is when I calibrate. You should calibrate your battery once a month. This keeps your battery healthy for when you need to use your MacBook portable.

Keeping the battery healthy

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