7 Simple Steps to Improve The Battery Life of Your Mac

 Whether you're working on big tasks or taking some time off, productivity depends on keeping your Mac operating effectively. Making sure the battery life on your Mac is optimal is one of the most important things to do to keep things running smoothly. Here are a few doable actions you may do to increase your Mac's battery life.

1. Adjust Screen Brightness

One of the simplest ways to save battery life is to lower your screen brightness. The display is one of the most power-hungry components of your Mac.

• How to Adjust Brightness:
  • Go to the Apple menu > System Preferences > Displays.
  • Adjust the brightness slider to a lower setting.
  • Alternatively, use the F1 and F2 keys to decrease or increase brightness.

2. Manage Background Applications

Applications running in the background can drain your battery significantly. Ensure you close any unnecessary applications when not in use.

• How to Manage Applications:
  • Open the Activity Monitor (Finder > Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor).
  • Check for apps consuming high CPU and memory, and close those you don't need.

3. Enable Energy Saver Settings

Macs come with built-in energy-saving settings that help conserve battery life.

• How to Enable Energy Saver:
  • Go to System Preferences > Battery > Battery.
  • Check options like "Slightly dim the display while on battery power" and "Enable Power Nap while on battery power".

4. Update macOS and Applications

Keeping your macOS and applications up-to-date ensures that you benefit from the latest performance improvements and bug fixes that can help enhance battery life.

• How to Update:
  • Go to System Preferences > Software Update.
  • For apps, open the App Store and click on Updates to ensure all your applications are up-to-date.

5. Disable Unnecessary Features

Turning off features that you don’t use can save battery life. Features like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi should be disabled when not in use.

• How to Disable Features:
  • Click on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar and select "Turn Bluetooth Off."
  • Go to System Preferences > Network and turn off Wi-Fi when not needed.

6. Optimize Battery Charging

macOS has a feature called "Optimized Battery Charging" that helps reduce the wear on your battery and improve its lifespan.

• How to Enable:
  • Go to System Preferences > Battery > Battery Health.
  • Check "Optimized Battery Charging."

7. Monitor Battery Health

Regularly checking your battery’s health can help you understand its condition and take necessary actions.

• How to Check Battery Health:
  • Click on the Apple menu > About This Mac > System Report.
  • Under the Power section, review the battery condition.
   

By following these steps and making small adjustments, you can significantly improve the battery life of your Mac. Not only will this help you stay productive for longer, but it will also extend the overall lifespan of your device.

 

Apple now lets US customers download Apple ID account data

Apple believes that privacy is a "fundamental human right" and insists that it doesn't gather your personal information to sell to advertisers or other organizations. While it may or may not collect as much data about its customers as some of its competitors, Apple still knows a lot about its users.

Apple in compliance with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) earlier this year launched a portal allowing customers in select regions to download a copy of the data associated with their Apple ID.
At the time, Apple said the service would be available to customers outside of the EU in the “coming months” and now, they’re making good on that promise.
As part of Apple’s updated privacy website, customers in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can now request a copy of the data associated with their Apple ID.
This information can include, but is not limited to, your Apple ID account details and sign-in records, data stored with iCloud such as contacts, notes, calendars, bookmarks, reminders, photos, videos, e-mails and documents, app usage information, a record of items purchased or downloaded from the App Store, Apple Books and iTunes Store as well as your browsing history in the stores, a record of Apple retail store transactions and support and marketing communications.

According to Apple, data that isn’t provided is either in a form that is not personally identifiable or linked to your Apple ID, is stored in an end-to-end encrypted format that Apple cannot decrypt or is simply not stored by Apple at all. Other data may only be held for a short time before being deleted.
To request a copy of your data, sign into your Apple ID account page, scroll down to Data & Privacy and select “Manage your Data and Privacy.” From there, select “Get started” under “Get a copy of your data.”
After completing the request, Apple will organize the data associated with your Apple ID, post it to your account and notify you that it’s ready. You’ll have 14 days to download it, after which time it will be removed and you’ll need to request it again.

Microsoft's latest Windows 10 test build lets you remove more pre-installed apps

Core apps have their place but if you've found a better third-party solution, it becomes redundant to have multiple apps that accomplish the same thing. Being able to remove Microsoft's pre-installed apps - for whatever reason - is a positive.

A vanilla installation of Windows 10 is taking on a whole new meaning with Microsoft’s latest preview build. Windows 10 Insider Preview, Build 18262 (19H1), allows Insiders in the Fast ring and those who have opted in to the Skip Ahead program to delete additional pre-installed apps.
Until now, it was only possible to uninstall Microsoft Solitaire Collect, My Office, OneNote, Print 3D, Skype, Tips and Weather via the context menu on the Start menu All Apps list. In 19H1, Microsoft has added the ability to additionally remove 3D Viewer, Calculator, Calendar, Groove Music, Mail, Movies & TV, Paint 3D, Snip & Sketch, Sticky Notes and Voice Recorder.
While some of these pre-installed apps are incredibly handy, they aren’t universally used by all and the ability to remove them is much appreciated.

Build 18262 also adds a new optional column to the Details tab in Task Manager to show which apps are DPI Aware and implements multiple bug fixes. The full changelog can be found over on Microsoft’s announcement blog.
Microsoft earlier this month paused the rollout of Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) after reports surfaced that it was deleting user data. The issues have since been rectified and Microsoft is testing a revised update with Windows Insiders ahead of a general re-launch.

Huawei beats Qualcomm to 7nm with Kirin 980 processor and it's a game changer

Huawei has unveiled its latest SoC at IFA 2018, the Kirin 980. Debuting as the first ever 7nm mobile processor, the chip is stunningly small for packing an array of impressive features.
Based on the ARM Cortex-A76 and Mali-G76, the Kirin 980 also includes a Cat.21 modem to reach speeds of up to 1.4 gigabits per second on cellular networks. As the first mobile SoC paired with 2,133MHz LPDDR4X RAM, the Kirin 980 is going to put up some impressive performance in memory intensive tasks.

The U.S. Government wants Facebook to break the encryption on Messenger

The United States government wants Facebook to break the end-to-end encryption on its Messenger app in order to snoop on a suspect in an ongoing MS-13 criminal investigation. So far, Facebook has not complied with the request.
While the case itself is under seal in California and therefore no public filings are available, three anonymous sources revealed some of the details to Reuters. The Department of Justice argued in court that Facebook should be held in contempt for failing to comply with the government’s request. Facebook argues that in order to comply, it would have to completely remove encryption from Messenger for all users. Even for an individual person, which is what the government is asking for, Facebook wouldn’t be able to easily remove the encryption.
For clarification, Facebook Messenger is not encrypted end-to-end for normal conversations. However, there is a Secret Conversation feature that allows all messages between two people to be secured where not even Facebook could decrypt it in transit. The MS-13 suspect is likely using this feature to communicate.
If this sounds familiar, a similar thing happened in 2016 after the San Bernardino shooting. The FBI wanted Apple to break into the locked iPhone 5C of Syed Rizwan Farook. A California magistrate judge signed a court order compelling Apple to unlock Farook’s iPhone. Apple fought the court order with CEO Tim Cook writing an impassioned customer letter arguing against what he perceived as government overreach. The FBI eventually dropped the case after using a third party company to break into the phone.
If Facebook complies with the government’s request, then it could set a dangerous precedent. Major tech companies like Apple have been trying to position themselves as privacy and security minded. Facebook in particular is still facing the ramifications after the Cambridge Analytica scandal and Russian interference campaigns. Companies such as Apple, Signal, WhatsApp (which is ironically owned by Facebook), and Telegram pride themselves on offering apps that allow people to securely and privately communicate with each other.
Additionally, Facebook will likely face the wrath of President Trump given his proclivity for using MS-13 as an example of the problems with America’s immigration system.
According to the Reuters article, legal experts say the government must “meet a high legal standard when seeking to obtain phone conversations, including showing there was no other way to obtain the evidence.” If the government can prove that Facebook complying is the only way to get evidence, Facebook could be forced to help the government.