How to Turn Off Clean Energy Charging on iPhone (And Whether You Should)
Clean Energy Charging quietly arrived with iOS 16.1, and plenty of iPhone users have noticed their phones taking longer to reach a full charge overnight — without a clear explanation why. If you've been hunting for the setting to disable it, here's exactly where it lives, how the feature actually works, and what factors make this decision genuinely different from user to user.
What Is Clean Energy Charging?
Clean Energy Charging is an Apple feature available on iPhone in the United States that adjusts when your iPhone charges during an overnight session. Instead of charging to 100% as fast as possible, the iPhone communicates with your regional electrical grid's carbon emissions data (provided through energy grid forecasting services) and delays certain portions of the charge cycle until times when the grid is producing electricity from lower-carbon sources — typically renewables like wind or solar.
This feature works alongside Optimized Battery Charging, which is a separate but related feature that learns your charging habits and holds the battery at 80% until shortly before you typically unplug. Clean Energy Charging layers an additional delay on top of that — timed not just around your schedule, but around grid conditions.
The result: your iPhone may finish charging later than you'd expect, and the timing can feel unpredictable if you're not aware the feature is running.
How to Turn Off Clean Energy Charging 🔋
The setting is straightforward once you know where it is:
- Open the Settings app
- Tap Battery
- Tap Battery Health & Charging
- Toggle off Clean Energy Charging
On some iOS versions, you may see a prompt asking whether you want to turn it off until tomorrow or turn it off permanently. The temporary option is useful if you just need a full charge before an early morning trip without changing your long-term settings.
iOS version note: This feature is present from iOS 16.1 onward. If you don't see it in Battery Health & Charging, check that your iPhone software is up to date — or confirm your device is running a compatible version.
Why Some Users Encounter This Feature Unexpectedly
Apple enabled Clean Energy Charging on by default, which catches a lot of users off guard. Many people assume their charger is faulty, their cable is underperforming, or there's a software issue — when in reality the phone is intentionally pausing or slowing the charge based on grid data.
The feature currently applies only in the United States, because it relies on carbon intensity forecasting data from U.S. regional grid operators. iPhones in other countries won't display the option (or will show it grayed out), because Apple hasn't yet integrated grid data for those regions.
It's also location-dependent within the U.S. — the feature uses your iPhone's location data to determine which regional grid you're connected to. If location services are restricted or the device can't determine your grid region, the feature may not function as expected.
Variables That Affect Whether Disabling It Makes Sense for You
This is where individual circumstances genuinely diverge:
| Factor | Implication |
|---|---|
| Charging routine | If you plug in at unpredictable times or need a full charge by a specific hour, delays caused by grid optimization may be disruptive |
| Battery health | Users managing an aging battery may want tighter control over charging behavior rather than adding scheduling layers |
| Location | Grid carbon intensity varies significantly by region — in areas with mostly renewable energy, the feature may have minimal effect on charging timing |
| Use of Optimized Battery Charging | If you've already disabled Optimized Battery Charging, Clean Energy Charging may interact differently with your charge cycle |
| Travel frequency | Frequent travelers across time zones or regions may find the feature makes less sense, since grid forecasting is tied to location |
The Relationship Between Clean Energy Charging and Battery Longevity
It's worth being clear about what this feature does and doesn't do for battery health. Clean Energy Charging does not directly extend battery lifespan — that's the job of Optimized Battery Charging, which reduces the time spent at 100% (high state-of-charge stress is a known factor in lithium battery degradation).
Clean Energy Charging is specifically about grid-level carbon emissions, not battery chemistry. Turning it off has no direct negative effect on your battery's long-term health. The two features are philosophically linked (both involve delaying full charges) but serve different purposes.
If your concern is battery longevity, the more relevant setting to evaluate is Optimized Battery Charging — not Clean Energy Charging.
What "Turning It Off Until Tomorrow" Actually Does
The temporary disable option deserves its own mention because it's genuinely useful and often overlooked. Selecting "Turn Off Until Tomorrow" suspends the feature for the current overnight session and re-enables it automatically. This means:
- You get a conventional, uninterrupted charge tonight
- You don't have to remember to re-enable the setting
- Your normal long-term behavior resumes the next charging cycle
This option suits situations like an early flight, a day where you know you'll need maximum charge, or simply testing whether the feature is what's causing slower-than-expected charging. ⚡
One Setting, Different Implications Depending on Your Setup
For a user who plugs in at 10pm, wakes at 7am, and lives in a grid region with volatile renewable availability, Clean Energy Charging might delay a full charge until 5am — which could feel either perfectly timed or inconvenient depending on morning plans. For someone who charges at irregular hours, travels frequently, or relies on their phone being fully charged by a specific time, the feature adds unpredictability without a meaningful benefit to them personally.
The setting itself takes about ten seconds to change. Whether those ten seconds are worth it depends entirely on how your charging routine intersects with how the feature actually behaves in your region, on your schedule, and alongside whatever other battery management settings you're running. 🔌