Apple Offering Free Battery Replacement for 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro That Won’t Charge Past 1%

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 10 Feb 2021

Apple is offering free battery replacement for 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models that refuse to charge past 1% following the release of macOS Big Sur 11.2.1. The update also fixes the sudo bug reported earlier this week.


In a support document, Apple says that a small number of 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro owners might not charge past 1% and show a “Recommended Service” message in the battery menu. In such cases, Apple recommends users to contact their nearest Apple Store or Authorized Apple Service Provider. The macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 or the supplemental macOS Catalina 10.15.7 update released by Apple today prevents the issue from happening on other Macs from the same year.

The following MacBook Pro models are covered under this program:

  • MacBook Pro (13­-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  • MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  • MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  • MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  • MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2016)
  • MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2017)

You can check the battery health of your MacBook by going to System Preferences -> Battery and then selecting the Battery Health option in the sidebar. If your MacBook is running macOS Catalina, simply hold the Option key and click on the battery icon in the menu bar to check the battery health.

Do note that Apple is only offering free battery replacement for users if  their MacBook is not charging past 1% and the “Recommended Service” message popped up for them following the installation of the latest macOS Big Sur or Catalina supplemental update. If your MacBook was showing this message from before the update and is charging past 1%, it likely won’t be eligible for a free battery replacement.

[Via Apple]