Often when Apple comes out with an exciting new update, iPhone fans are all over it, eager to try it and find out what makes it so noteworthy. But the latest iPhone charging update is causing both excitement and also frustration and criticism. When you download the iOS 16.1 update you’ll notice a significant change: Clean Energy Charging will be available on your iPhone — part of Apple’s effort to decarbonize by 2030. But what sounds like an eco-friendly update that can help lower carbon-emission electricity has been met with some derision. Here’s what critics (and Apple!) has to say about the latest charging update.
What is Clean Energy Charging?
The way Clean Energy Charging works is rather brilliantly simple in its design. After downloading iOS 16.01, you can connect your iPhone to a charger and actually view a forecast of the carbon emission in your local energy grid. Your iPhone will only charge at full capacity during those times of cleaner energy production.
Only available in the United States (thus far), Clean Energy Charging only engages with your device after learning your charging habits (hence, the “smart” part of it). It functions alongside Optimized Battery Charging and learns your charging habits at home or work — and location settings will have to be turned on for it to access the carbon emission output in your local area. Apple claims your iPhone doesn’t send your location information to Apple and retains your privacy.
Those are the basic facts about Clean Energy Charging. So why has it been met with some resistance, especially on Twitter?
What critics have to say
One of the biggest criticisms of this feature, across the board, is that Apple rolled it out as a default feature without giving users the ability to opt in. Some say that won’t properly spread the word about it to users. Others express having an issue with Apple deciding how users can and should use energy.
“I’m glad Apple is working on dynamic charging to shift to low carbon hours,” tweeted Tim Latimer, CEO of Fervo Energy. “But the way they rolled it out isn’t great: limited awareness, default position is opted in. We should demand better transparency and choice for clean energy solutions, or it’s going to backfire.”
Other critics, like Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, were more blunt in their assessment of the feature. “I turned off clean energy charging to increase my carbon footprint. I believe in feeding trees,” Greene tweeted.
Some users claimed that while using Clean Energy Charging, their phones charged slowly, though Apple has denied the verity of this connection, saying users should not notice any difference in how their phone charges or operates. In fact, the feature only works after learning your charging habits, so if you are used to charging your phone at night (for example), that’s likely when it will be in use. Still, some users said they can’t shake the feeling that those living in areas with higher emission output are going to be “punished” for their geographic location.
How to turn Clean Energy Charging on and off
If this feature sounds exciting to you, you’ll need to have a few other features turned on for it to work properly, according to Apple:
Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and make sure that Clean Energy Charging is on.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and make sure that Location Services is on.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services and make sure that System Customization is on.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Significant Locations and make sure that Significant Locations is on.
And if you aren’t a fan of this new feature, it can be turned off by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging > and then toggling off Clean Energy Charging — otherwise, remember: it’s turned on by default.
