Apple MacBook is getting a battery life trick to make Chromebook and Windows users jealous

Apple is saving you from yourself with this battery optimisation feature discovered in the latest macOS Big Sur beta

MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020) review
(Image credit: Future)
Shabana Arif
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in News

Apple MacBook users who leave their laptops plugged into the mains with some regularity will love the upcoming battery optimisation feature that looks like it might be rolling out in macOS 11.3. 

The current Big Sur beta reveals a nifty trick that will reduce the strain on battery life that comes with keeping your laptop consistently plugged in, by capping your battery level at 80%. The cool part is that it uses your calendar info to figure out when you might need to unplug and go mobile, juicing up to full power around three hours before upcoming events.

The macOS 11.3 beta feature was discovered by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser, and further builds on it by learning your charging routine to hit that 80% sweet spot without leaving you in the lurch with not enough power. Of course, as with all beta features, it may not make the final cut when the next Big Sur update rolls out,  

Of course, if you'd rather dictate when your tech is charging, and don't want it setting its own schedule, you can easily disable the feature in the battery settings under System Preferences on Intel-based and M1-based Macs. Not all battery-related optimisation and health management features can be toggled though, so make your peace with the fact that Apple is just trying to save you from yourself at some point. 

That's not the only Big Sur beta feature that has us excited; gamers will be pleased to hear that support for  Xbox Series X and PS5 controllers is on the way, which is also set to roll out in iOS 14.5.

Safari is also getting a more user-friendly revamp, with a landing page that can be personalised, while Reminders are set for a sorting feature so they can be organised by due date, or priority, for example.   

You can read more about macOS Big Sur 11.3 Beta 2 Release Notes and how to download on Apple's developer blog. 

Shabana Arif
Shabana Arif

Shabana worked at T3.com as News Editor covering tech and gaming, and has been writing about video games for almost a decade (and playing them since forever). She's had bylines at major gaming sites during her freelance career before settling down here at T3, and has podcasts, streaming, and video content under her belt to boot. Outside of work, she also plays video games and should really think about expanding her hobbies. If you have any tech or gaming tips, shoot over an email or DM her on social media.

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