I’ve lost count of how many times my laptop has died in the middle of work. On a few occasions I simply missed the low battery warning. There were times when I saw the warning and then forgot to plug in the charging cable.
In the most recent fiasco, I was working with a battery level of 7% while sitting comfortably on a beanbag chair and thought I would just finish the current task and run to get the power bank. I overestimated the pace of my work and my MacBook Air died in the middle of the task. Luckily, cloud sync saved the work progress.
But not everyone has this luxury in their work software. Simply put, people like me needed a more persistent – and noticeable – reminder for low battery situations. Luckily, I just found a lightweight Mac utility that’s perfect for those low-power panic moments.
This is a savior
The app in question is called Plug That In: Battery Monitor. It handles low battery memories in a pretty unique way. Instead of displaying a pop-up notification banner or flashing an icon in the crowded menu bar, the power alert is attached to the touchpad or mouse cursor.
Wherever the cursor moves, the low battery warning follows the cursor. Additionally, it also sounds an audible alert to ensure you get an audible nudge even if your work doesn’t require cursor movement or it’s simply resting on an external display you’re not paying attention to.
Well, the idea behind Plug That In is pretty simple. Make it impossible to miss a low battery warning. And it might also sound a little irritating. But the developer behind it implemented the entire idea in an extremely minimalist yet thoughtful way.
First, the app runs entirely as a menu bar utility, just like Loook for eye health and the Maccy clipboard app. Since it is less than 2MB in size, it does not take up disk space or slow down the system. And finally, no intrusive permissions are required to get the job done. Think of it as a silent low-battery watchdog for your Mac that hardly uses any resources.
Now you might think that an app that simply attaches a low battery warning to the cursor is a barebones utility. Well, Plug That In is pretty customizable if you plan to go beyond the role of simply sending alerts.
Highly customizable
First, you can set it to start automatically when the system boots. You can choose to only show the app icon in the menu bar, the battery percentage, or both. Now let’s move on to the core low battery warnings.
You can choose the exact battery level at which the app starts giving audio-visual alerts. You can start at 5% and increase up to 80%, with a consistent 5% gap at each stop. The default setting sets the warning threshold at the 30% level.
Users can also customize the duration of notifications, which can vary between 1 and 10 seconds. However, if you’re working with concentration, you can turn off the audio alerts and just use the visual cues.
There is also a special reminder mode that works more like the Urgency phase. The vanilla notifications are less intrusive, while the reminders kick in when battery power is running low.
Once you set the battery level at which the reminders activate, you can also control the duration for which the visual notification appears on the screen. It can be 15, 30 or 60 seconds. More importantly, you can have sounds play at 5 second intervals so you don’t miss the reminders.
An extra pinch of thoughtfulness
Now the idea of seeing a visual warning next to the cursor – and audible beeps – sounds like a strong nudge to move and plug in the charging cable. Still, you don’t want it to interfere with your work, especially if you’re in the middle of a video call, presentation, or general phone conversation conducted via iPhone.
For such scenarios, Plug That In offers a Smart DND function. From this dashboard, you can separately disable low battery alerts when the camera is active. Additionally, you can mute notifications when the microphone is used for calls or recordings, or when media playback is active.
What I like the most is the localization system. Between 5% and 30% battery level – spaced evenly at 5% intervals – you can set a custom low battery reminder title and message. You can also be playful at every step, or simply make the warnings become more urgent with every drop.
Now you might think that you don’t need it. And the criticism is somewhat justified. MacBooks offer incredible battery life, and even with 20% battery left in the tank, you can still get a few hours of work done.
But not all workflows are the same. If you’re mostly busy with web-based work, you can deal with a little occasional lag. But for tasks like video editing, AI-driven tasks, or workflows with a lot of background activity, battery drain is pretty quick.
The problem worsens in older MacBooks with an aging battery. A new machine can last an hour or two on 5-10% juice, but a dead battery that’s been used on a Mac for years can’t quite do that.
On the contrary: due to local throttling and aggressive performance optimization, older batteries discharge significantly faster. I have experienced it and it is extremely annoying.
I love my 12-inch MacBook and often take it with me to do a few hours of focused work in a park or café. I love the hand feel of this slim and light laptop, but once it reaches the sub-30% range, it’s like playing a risky game because the battery drains at an unpredictable rate.
And yes, I got left behind and lost my work progress due to this sudden crash. Most users who are still stuck with their outdated Mac with Intel processor and haven’t had a battery replacement are familiar with the problem. For such devices, an app like Plug That In is a godsend.
It costs just $0.99 and is available on the Mac App Store. Yes, paying for a battery reminder utility might not sound particularly appealing if you’re a desk worker, but for anyone who doesn’t carry charging equipment or doesn’t have access to a power plug, Plug That In is an essential utility.
