Do you use a Mac laptop that has Thunderbolt 3 ports? Is it running macOS Catalina 10.15.5, or later? Has the battery ‘Not Charging’ indicator been popping up even though your Mac is clearly plugged in?
Don’t panic. Apple says that it’s a feature and not a bug. Phew!
The company released a support document not long ago explaining why you should not be alarmed. The gist of the document was this— Don’t freak out. It may be alarming to see that your Mac is not charging, but it’s supposed to work that way.
Apparently, the Battery Health Management feature on these macs will sometimes pause its charging for calibration purposes. This is intended to prolong the Mac’s battery lifespan by “reducing the rate at which it chemically ages”.
Also, when the Battery Health Management feature is active, it may temporarily lower your Mac’s charge level. This function is meant to reduce the time that the battery spends at full charge, thus optimizing battery health. Your Mac laptop will resume charging after a while based on your battery’s temperature history and charging patterns.
That means if you often charge your Mac overnight after using it all day, it may charge up to 85 per cent and sit there for a while before charging to full, just before it’s needed in the morning.
I think it’s a pretty useful feature to have, but if you don’t want it, you can always turn it off. Just got to System Preferences > Energy Saver > Battery Health, after installing macOS Catalina 10.15.5, or later.
While the Battery Health feature is useful, the ‘Not Charging’ pop up could lead to some confusion. Sometimes Apple’s MacBooks also shows the charging warning if it is not getting enough power or if it is plugged in with an incorrect cable or adapter. Apple recommends that we follow these steps in these situations.