Apple Offering Free Battery Replacements for 2016-2017 MacBook Pros That Can't Charge Past 1%

Apple today released macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 to address an issue that may prevent the battery from charging in some 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models, and the company has since shared a new support document with more details.

Apple says a "very small number of customers" with 2016 and 2017 models of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro have experienced an issue with the battery not charging past 1%. The battery health status on affected notebooks will indicate "Service Recommended." To identify your Mac model, click on the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the screen and click on About This Mac. The following models may be impacted by this issue:

- 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)

If your MacBook Pro exhibits this behavior, Apple says to contact the company for a battery replacement, free of charge. Apple says it will examine the notebook prior to service to verify that it is eligible for the free replacement.

If your MacBook Pro has not exhibited this issue, updating to macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 as soon as possible is still highly recommended as a precaution. There is also a macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update that prevents the issue.

macOS Big Sur users can determine if their battery needs service by opening the System Preferences app, clicking Battery, selecting Battery in the sidebar, and clicking Battery Health. On macOS Catalina or earlier, users can hold the Option key and click the battery icon in the menu bar to reveal the battery status menu.