macOS 11.3 Could Ensure Your Mac is Fully Charged in Time for Calendar Events

Apple appears to be planning a meeting-friendly improvement to its Optimized Battery Charging feature on the Mac in macOS 11.3.

New code in the second beta of macOS 11.3, discovered by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser, suggests that the upcoming software update will ensure a Mac is fully charged to 100% prior to a scheduled calendar event, such as a meeting.

macOS 11.3 will ensure that a Mac finishes charging to 100% three hours prior to a calendar event's start time, the code suggests, although the exact timing may vary depending on whether an alert is set for the calendar event.

Macs running macOS 10.15.5 or later have an Optimized Battery Charging feature that helps to reduce wear on the battery and improve its lifespan by learning the user's daily charging routine. The feature delays charging the battery past 80% when it predicts the user will be connected to power for an extended period of time, and aims to charge the battery before they unplug from power, according to Apple.

Optimized Battery Charging can be toggled on or off in System Preferences > Battery > Battery on both Intel-based and M1-based Macs, but there are certain other battery health management features that cannot be disabled on M1-based Macs.