Apple has today launched a new battery replacement programme for 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models that aren’t charging past 1%. The iPhone maker announced this stating that the issue has only affected “a very small of customers”. However, the reason behind the charging problem hasn’t been specified.

Affected 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro users can check the eligibility for the replacement programme through the battery health status that will show a “Service Recommended” message. Users can access the battery health status by going to Apple menu > System Preferences > Battery on macOS Big Sur. On macOS Catalina and older versions, it can be accessed by holding the Option key and clicking the battery icon in the menu bar.

On its support, Apple wrote saying, “If the status indicates that your battery is Normal, your battery is not affected by this issue.”

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If you find your battery affected by the charging issue and is eligible for replacement, you can contact Apple to get it replaced free of charge. However, the company will examine the model before any service in order to confirm that it is eligible for free battery replacement.

Apple also recommends users on 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models to update them to the newly released macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 or install the macOS Catalina 10.15.7 supplemental update. The company noted that updating to the new macOS version will help prevent the battery issue from happening on other 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models.

There have been similar programmes from Apple including the keyboard replacement service that was launched in 2019. This was carried out to fix the infamous butterfly keyboard that had everyone complaining.