Free battery replacement of faulty MacBooks manufactured between October 2016-2017
Apple has announced that the built-in battery of a limited number of its 13-inch MacBook Pros without Touch Bars may expand due to a component failure. To that end, it is offering to replace the batteries in the flawed MacBook Pro units free of charge. The affected models were manufactured between October 2016 and October 2017. This is not a safety issue, Apple assured.
What to do if your MacBook Pro's battery is affected
To know if your MacBook Pro is eligible for a battery replacement, you can check by entering its serial number on Apple's support page. Affected laptops need to be taken to either an Apple Repair Centre, an Apple Retail Store, or an Apple Authorized Service Provider. In case, you have already gotten your battery replaced, you can claim for a refund, Apple has assured.
The program is available worldwide through 2022
Your MacBook Pro will be first examined to verify that battery replacement is actually required. You are suggested to back up your data before submitting the laptop for servicing, which might take 3-5 days. Notably, this program does not apply to 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and "covers affected MacBook Pro models for five years after the first retail sale of the unit."
Not the first time Apple is dealing with faulty batteries
Earlier in December, Apple had admittedly slowed down select iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, and iPhone SE models without informing users to protect older batteries that could lead to the devices automatically shutting down. The company later apologized and reduced the replacement price of all affected out-of-warranty batteries to Rs. 2,000 from Rs. 5,900. This program is available worldwide until December 2018.
