So it’s not uncommon for phone makers these days to brag about how eco-friendly their phones are, and by that we mean they’re eco-friendly. We are talking about packaging that could use recycled paper/cardboard, hardware components made from sustainable materials or recycled components, etc.
But what about the software side? With the launch of iOS 16 today, one of the features that Apple revealed they didn’t have before is something called “Clean Energy Charging”. According to Apple, the idea is that it will help optimize charging when the power grid is less busy.
“Clean Energy Charging aims to reduce the iPhone’s carbon footprint by optimizing charge times when the grid uses cleaner energy sources.”
The feature isn’t available yet and should come in a future update, but it sounds pretty cool, and we hope Google or other Android handset makers can adopt it in their phones in the future.
While our phones themselves may not necessarily use as much power compared to something like a refrigerator, the fact that millions of people in the United States charge their phones daily does add up. Additionally, it could also be a useful way for people who use solar charging at home to tap into their energy storage and use it instead of drawing from the grid.
At the moment the feature will only be available in the US when it launches, but hopefully it will expand to other countries in the future.
Source: 9to5Mac