Apple’s commitment to a green environment continues with Clean Energy Charging on iPhone. Announced with the iOS 16 rollout, Apple has finally made the function available in the latest update. Here’s what Clean Energy Charging means on iPhone.

What Is Clean Energy Charging on iPhone?

Your iPhone learns your charging habits and tries to reduce your carbon footprint by selectively charging when lower carbon-emission electricity is available.

When you connect your iPhone to a charger, the Clean Energy Charging option kicks in to get a forecast of the carbon emissions in your local energy grid and juice up your iPhone during cleaner energy production. The option works together with Optimized Battery Charging to learn your charging habits. Over a long period of time, Clean Energy Charging predicts your usual locations, like your office or home, and enables itself to reduce your carbon footprint.

When you move to a new location, travel, or simply charge your iPhone in a local café, Clean Energy Charging won’t work.

How to Use Clean Energy Charging on iPhone

Clean Energy Charging is enabled by default if your iPhone is running iOS 16.1 or later. It works on iPhone X and newer devices, but the feature is only available in the US for now. In order for Clean Energy Charging to work, you need to tweak some settings on your iPhone.

Enable Location Services

iOS needs to determine your regular charging location to turn on Clean Energy Charging in the background. You must enable location services from the Settings menu.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll to Privacy & Security.
3. Open Location Services and enable the same from the following menu.

Enable System Customization

You must enable system customization to run Clean Energy Charging effectively.

1. Open Location Services in Privacy & Security menu (refer to the steps above).
2. Scroll to System Services.
3. Enable the System Customization toggle.

Enable Significant Locations

Significant locations permission allows your iPhone and iCloud-connected devices to learn places significant to you in order to deliver useful location-related information in system apps. That way, Clean Charging Energy learns your location to enable the function.

1. Head to Location Services in Privacy & Security (check the steps above).
2. Scroll to System Services.
3. Open Significant Locations, confirm your authentication and enable it.

Override Clean Energy Charging

iOS system will send a notification on the Lock Screen when Clean Energy Charging kicks in and suspends charging. It will also show the estimated time when your iPhone will be fully charged. If you need the system to charge it sooner, long tap on the notification and select Charge now.

Disable Clean Energy Charging

As we mentioned before, the system automatically enables Clean Energy Charging by default. If you don’t prefer it to suspend charging occasionally, use the steps below to disable it entirely.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll to Battery.
3. Open Battery Health & Charging.
4. Disable the Clean Energy Charging toggle.

Make Your Contribution to a Green Environment

As of now, Clean Energy Charging is only available on iPhones running iOS 16.1 or higher in the US.  But we won’t be surprised if Apple extends it to other regions and the entire hardware portfolio, including iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.  

The latest iOS update isn’t limited to Clean Energy Charging. Check the best iOS 16 settings tweaks to get the most out of the newest OS.