Apple Shares More Details on iOS 16.1 Clean Energy Charging Feature

iOS 16.1 includes a Clean Energy Charging option that is designed to allow iPhone users to cut down on their carbon footprint. Clean Energy Charging selectively charges when lower carbon emission electricity is available for those who want a greener charging method.

clean energy charging ios 16 1
Apple today published a support document on Clean Energy Charging, providing more specific details on how it works, how to disable it when necessary, and which settings need to be active to get it to work.

Clean Energy Charging is limited to the United States, and it requires Location Services, System Customization, and Significant Locations to all be enabled in the System Services section of the Settings app in order to function.

It is on by default, and those who want to turn it off will need to do so by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging.

When enabled, Clean Energy Charging allows the ‌iPhone‌ to get a forecast of carbon emissions in the nearby energy grid, using that to charge the ‌iPhone‌ during times of cleaner energy production.

Apple says that Clean Energy Charging works with Optimized Battery Charging to learn a user's habits, engaging only when the ‌iPhone‌ is charged for long periods of time, such as at home or work. It does not engage if charging habits are variable or when the user is in a new location, such as when traveling.

When Clean Energy Charging turns charging off, a notification on the Lock Screen provides details when the ‌iPhone‌ will be fully charged, similar to Optimized Battery Charging. Touching and holding on the notification brings up a "Charge Now" option to set the ‌iPhone‌ to charge the ‌iPhone‌ to full.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...

Top Rated Comments

andrewhl Avatar
43 months ago
Requires you to enable signifcant locations feature.... uhhh yeah no thanks
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MallardDuck Avatar
43 months ago
This needs to be disabled by default. I want my phone charged when it needs to be charged. If I got on a plane only to discover that it's half-dead, I'd be pissed.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Silver78 Avatar
43 months ago
this is the future for all batterypowered devices
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vegetassj4 Avatar
43 months ago
Energy Companies Hate This One Simple Trick



Attachment Image
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1557750 Avatar
43 months ago
I do like this feature being added.

Don’t see any reason to turn it off.

Update: it’s the Devil, I tell ya!!! Turn it off.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
appleguy123 Avatar
43 months ago
I care deeply about the future of the planet, but I’m turning this off. Only 15% of the lifetime emissions for an iPhone (from birth to the used market to the recycling robots) comes from actually using the phone. Even all of the energy ever used in an iPhone for its lifetime is 9kg of carbon (similar burning a single gallon of gasoline in your car). Reusing instead of throwing away a single plastic bottle does more for the planet than being at all inconvenienced by this.

https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/iphone/iPhone_14_Pro_PER_Sept2022.pdf
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)