AlDente 1.39: Rebuilt Charge Control and macOS 27 Support

AppHouseKitchen released AlDente 1.39 on 8 September 2026, with completely rebuilt charge control that supports macOS 27 and is more reliable on earlier versions of macOS and on Intel MacBooks. AlDente is a menu bar app that stops your MacBook charging at a limit you choose, such as 80%, to reduce battery wear when your laptop spends most of its time plugged in. If you want your MacBook to last through a three- or four-year degree, this update matters, and so does the steady run of features added since late 2025.

What's new in AlDente 1.39

Rebuilt charge control

The main change affects every user, free or Pro. AppHouseKitchen has rebuilt how AlDente controls charging, adding macOS 27 support and improving reliability on older macOS versions and Intel MacBooks, including Macs that have been downgraded from the macOS 27 beta. According to the release notes, the update also reduces AlDente's effect on WindowServer CPU usage, along with general stability fixes.

One behaviour has changed. To work well with Apple's new charge control systems, charge limits below 80% now need a toggle in Charge Settings to be turned on first. Version 1.39.2 later made limits below 80% available again on Intel MacBooks without that extra toggle.

Pro improvements

• Calibration Mode: now detects Apple's own battery calibration and works with it. After the first charging phase, you can cancel or let AlDente finish the calibration.
• Apps Using Significant Energy: the widget has been redesigned with Quit buttons, optional background processes and better app detection.
• Hardware battery percentage: now available in the stats widget and menu bar items, while charge control itself always uses the macOS percentage.

Follow-up fixes

Versions 1.39.1 to 1.39.4, released between 9 and 23 September 2026, fixed charge limiting on some MacBooks running macOS 15 and earlier, a charge limit issue on some Intel MacBooks, Calibration Mode and Sailing Mode problems on macOS 26 and 15, and visual glitches seen in early macOS 27.2 betas.

Earlier in 2025 and 2026

• AlDente 1.38 (1 July 2026): added a What's New window, a Help and Support page and a refreshed onboarding. Pro users got a rebuilt Power Flow diagram with lower CPU use and new power readings on macOS 26, schedule templates and new Low Power and High Power Mode shortcuts.
• AlDente 1.37 (10 March 2026): improved support for the M5 MacBook Pro, added Swedish and Arabic, and gave Pro users new status and graph widgets in the popover.
• AlDente 1.36 (18 November 2025): redesigned the app for macOS 26 Tahoe with an adaptive icon and a Reduce Transparency option. Pro added fully customisable menu bar stats and High Power Mode settings.
• AlDente 1.35 (29 August 2025): opened Battery Health Stats and the Battery Cycles graph to free users, and added a Power Consumption graph with a live time-remaining estimate for Pro.

Why it matters for students

• A MacBook that lasts your whole course: if your laptop stays plugged in at a desk in halls or the library, holding the charge at around 80% rather than 100% is designed to slow battery ageing. That can help battery life stay reasonable into your final year and improve resale value when you graduate.
• Full charge when you need it: before a day of lectures, a long exam or a train journey home, you can raise the limit to charge fully, or use the Top Up feature in Pro, then return to your usual limit.
• Keeping an eye on battery health: free users can now see battery health and cycle count graphs, so you can check how your battery is doing over time without extra tools.
• Finding power-hungry apps: the redesigned energy widget in Pro makes it easy to spot and quit apps that drain the battery, which is useful when you are working unplugged during a long seminar or revision session.
• Staying safe on new macOS versions: if you install macOS 27 when it launches, you need a version of AlDente that supports it. Version 1.39 is that release.

Requirements and upgrade details

• AlDente requires macOS 12 Monterey or later, a minimum that AppHouseKitchen raised in version 1.38.
• Version 1.39 supports macOS 27 and works on both Apple silicon and Intel MacBooks.
• AlDente is available as a free version and a paid Pro version. Version 1.39 is a free update, and the Pro features listed above need a Pro licence.

Get AlDente with a student discount

Student App Centre members get 20% off AlDente. Visit our AlDente student discount page to claim it. You can start with a 7-day free trial of Student App Centre membership.