The iPhone’s charging feature, which is reportedly aimed at reducing users’ carbon footprint, has come under criticism.
Clean energy charging is built into the latest version of the tech giant’s iOS 16 software. In October, Apple called for global supply chains to be decarbonized by 2030.
It was released in the October update, but has recently come under scrutiny.
“I turned off clean energy charging to increase my carbon footprint. I believe in growing trees,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Georgia, tweeted in February.
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Clean energy charging is built into the latest version of the tech giant’s iOS 16 software. (Cyberguy.com)
According to The Washington Post, clean energy charging is turned on by default — although this isn’t the first time Apple has done this.
“I am very happy Apple is working on dynamic charging Tim Latimer, chief executive of geothermal power company Fervo Energy, tweeted: “Shift to low carbon time. But the way they rolled it out was not good: limited awareness, default location chosen.”
“We should demand better transparency and more choice in clean energy solutions, otherwise it will backfire,” he said.
Apple says phones can be selectively charged when low-carbon-emitting electricity is available. When the feature is enabled and an iPhone is connected to a charger, it gets a forecast of carbon emissions from the local energy grid and uses it to charge the phone during periods of clean energy production.
An Apple Lightning port charging cable is seen in use with an iPhone in this illustration photo taken on October 5, 2022 in Warsaw, Poland. (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Clean Energy Charging is only available in the US. This feature will not be enabled if charging habits change or the user is in a new location.
“So, in order to get carbon emissions forecasts for your area, certain location settings must be turned on to activate Clean Energy Charging. Your iPhone does not send any location information to Apple for this feature,” Apple said.
An attendee holds the new iPhone 14 Pro during a special Apple event on September 7, 2022 in Cupertino, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
If users need to fully charge their phone as soon as possible, they can touch and hold the notification when the iPhone is fully charged on the lock screen while using Settings, and then tap Charge Now.
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To turn off the feature completely, go to Settings, click Battery, select Battery Health and Charging and turn off Clean Energy Charging.
