The practice of charging devices to 80% to preserve battery life stems from the charging characteristics of lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are subjected to more stress when they are close to full charge or fully discharged, which may shorten their overall lifespan. Some operating systems and devices offer setting options to limit the charging cap and help extend the life of the battery. Here's a guide on how to set up charge protection for some common devices:
iOS and iPadOS: Apple's iOS 13 and later and iPadOS have introduced the "Optimize Battery Charging" feature, which learns your charging habits and delays the remaining charging process after the battery has been charged to 80% until you need to use the device. You can find this option in Settings > Battery > Battery Health and turn on Optimize battery charging.
macos: On some MacBook models, macOS also offers a similar "Battery Health Management" feature, which is designed to slow down the rate of battery aging. This can be enabled in "Battery Health" under "System Preferences" > "Energy Saver".
The settings of your Android device may vary depending on the brand and model. Some manufacturers have incorporated battery protection features in their customized Android versions, such as Huawei's "Smart Charging Protection", Samsung's "Protect Battery" feature, etc. Usually, these options can be found in similarly named sections like Settings > Battery> Battery Protection, or Battery Health of your device.
For laptops running Windows or other operating systems, the battery protection settings may not be as straightforward as they are on Apple devices or some Android devices. However, some laptop manufacturers offer battery protection in their pre-installed software, such as Lenovo's "Vantage" software, Dell's "Power Manager," and others where you can find battery protection or battery health options.
When using the battery protection feature, it is important to keep in mind that this may affect how long the device will last when it is not charging. If you know you'll need to be away from the charger for an extended period of time, you may need to manually adjust the settings to ensure the device is fully charged.
Check your device's user manual or support page to see if the battery protection feature is supported and how to enable it.
Limiting battery charging to 80% is a strategy designed to extend battery life, but depending on your specific use case and needs, there may be a trade-off between this strategy and actual ease of use.