Apple told me my 2015 MacBook needed a new battery and was ready to charge me $200 for it. I restored macOS and the issue is no more

[mrat93]

TL;DR: Apple said my 2015 MacBook battery (356 cycles, minimal usage) needs replacement and that they’d charge me $200 for it. I restored macOS and now I get no warning. I charged and discharged multiple times and cannot get the error or it’s associated issues to resurface.

Full story:

I bought a 12-inch 2015 MacBook, barely used, in 2016. I put some light usage on it, and then I loaned it to a friend in need. She ended up hanging onto it for 2 years and put only light usage on it.

When I got it back, I noticed a “service battery” warning. The Macbook was mostly functional still. I know that batteries can degrade from not being used. The most notable functional issue I noticed was taking a long time to wake up from sleep. It would only work reliably when connected to its AC adapter.

I brought it to the Genius Bar a couple of weeks ago. Genius runs a battery utility and says my MacBook failed the battery test. He says he said ”it’s possible you just got a bad battery, or it’s possible that the software corrupted it.“

Me: ”If the software is corrupting the battery, then wouldn’t it happen again right after you replace it?

Genius: ”Yes, which is why I would also suggested reinstalling macOS as well.“

I found this weird, but I took his word for it.

So I go home and ponder: Do I want to pay $200 for a repair on a computer that’s worth maybe $500 now? Nah. I did some research, and decided that I wanted to try to repair the MacBook myself So I spend $50 on a replacement bottom shell of the MacBook with a new battery.

I ponder more: Should I really be fixing this computer to be my daily driver? It is kind of old... Maybe I should plan to sell it and use that money towards a new Mac.

So I decide to buy a secondhand MacBook Air as my future daily driver. 2019 model for $700. Dope! I love it and plan on keeping it. And I acknowledge the great deal I got as well...

So now I am prepping for the battery replacement procedure. I backup all my data, manually transfer it over to my new MacBook Air (Genius’s warning that my software could corrupt the battery made me weary to use a Time Machine Backup).

I erase ol’ 2015 MacBook and bring it to base macOS. I did the initial setup so I could log in a drain the battery, as is recommended for repairs.

I figured, ’what the hell, I’ll just play around with it to see how it is.”

Two full battery drains and charges later, I have zero issues and no error.

So, I have a new (used) MacBook Air for $700, a new MacBook battery for $50, and a working MacBook.

———————————-

My question is... Is it conceivable that my battery issue was all software related and that the Genius gave bad advice? I want to believe that the issue will resurface and that the Genius was right and that I didn’t get a whole new Mac unnecessarily.

Regardless, I am curious to bring this to Apple again to see what they say. If they can get a “FAILURE” reading again on my MacBook, I’ll be satisfied. Otherwise... I’m a little salty.

 

[Juicy Box]

Is it conceivable that my battery issue was all software related and that the Genius gave bad advice?

Of course.

I have had quite a few issues with Apple "Geniuses" and Apple Support Reps.

Probably my most annoying issue was when I repeatedly took an iMac with obvious HDD issues into the Apple Store for them to test it and say it was fine and that it was an SW issue.

They would wipe the drive, and I would reinstall, only to have the issues come back to the point that the iMac wouldn't boot anymore. Then I would schedule and appointment and take it back, only to have the same thing happen, over and over again.

The drive finally totally died to the point that it wouldn't even mount anymore, and they finally replaced it.

In retrospect, if I would have known all the issues I ended up having with it, I would have just swapped the drive for a SSD.

I have a few other stories, but I think the iMac HDD one was probably the worse.

 

[4sallypat]

I have the same model - first gen 12" rMB and it's a daily computer at home.

Last year when I had the same issue (service battery) when it was under AppleCare, the rep told me to do a PRAM and SMC reset along with wiping and restoring the OS.

Did that and started to work with no more battery warnings and the charge capacity went up to 85%.

 

[Apple_Robert]

A lot of times, battery problems are software related. As such, it is a good idea to reset all settings and if need be, wipe and set up as new. And if battery problems continue have Apple take a look.

You did the right thing, OP.

 

[nicho]

Of course.

I have had quite a few issues with Apple "Geniuses" and Apple Support Reps.

I once had an iPhone 5 that wouldn't accept a charging cable (in my defence, I was still at University, I was a little fresh and the lightning connector was too... obviously now I'd just poke around with a toothpick for pocket lint)

The "Genius" was very clearly a financial one - skilled at making money for Apple. She told me it would need to be replaced. I told her I couldn't afford that. She "took pity" on me and asked if I'd like her to try to fix it.

Hadn't they done that during their diagnostics that determined the phone was beyond repair? Apparently not because the phone was in my hands and charging again 15 minutes later.

 

[iluvmacs99]

TL;DR: Apple said my 2015 MacBook battery (356 cycles, minimal usage) needs replacement and that they’d charge me $200 for it. I restored macOS and now I get no warning. I charged and discharged multiple times and cannot get the error or it’s associated issues to resurface.

Full story:

I bought a 12-inch 2015 MacBook, barely used, in 2016. I put some light usage on it, and then I loaned it to a friend in need. She ended up hanging onto it for 2 years and put only light usage on it.

When I got it back, I noticed a “service battery” warning. The Macbook was mostly functional still. I know that batteries can degrade from not being used. The most notable functional issue I noticed was taking a long time to wake up from sleep. It would only work reliably when connected to its AC adapter.

I brought it to the Genius Bar a couple of weeks ago. Genius runs a battery utility and says my MacBook failed the battery test. He says he said ”it’s possible you just got a bad battery, or it’s possible that the software corrupted it.“

Me: ”If the software is corrupting the battery, then wouldn’t it happen again right after you replace it?

Genius: ”Yes, which is why I would also suggested reinstalling macOS as well.“

I found this weird, but I took his word for it.

So I go home and ponder: Do I want to pay $200 for a repair on a computer that’s worth maybe $500 now? Nah. I did some research, and decided that I wanted to try to repair the MacBook myself So I spend $50 on a replacement bottom shell of the MacBook with a new battery.

I ponder more: Should I really be fixing this computer to be my daily driver? It is kind of old... Maybe I should plan to sell it and use that money towards a new Mac.

So I decide to buy a secondhand MacBook Air as my future daily driver. 2019 model for $700. Dope! I love it and plan on keeping it. And I acknowledge the great deal I got as well...

So now I am prepping for the battery replacement procedure. I backup all my data, manually transfer it over to my new MacBook Air (Genius’s warning that my software could corrupt the battery made me weary to use a Time Machine Backup).

I erase ol’ 2015 MacBook and bring it to base macOS. I did the initial setup so I could log in a drain the battery, as is recommended for repairs.

I figured, ’what the hell, I’ll just play around with it to see how it is.”

Two full battery drains and charges later, I have zero issues and no error.

So, I have a new (used) MacBook Air for $700, a new MacBook battery for $50, and a working MacBook.

———————————-
My question is... Is it conceivable that my battery issue was all software related and that the Genius gave bad advice? I want to believe that the issue will resurface and that the Genius was right and that I didn’t get a whole new Mac unnecessarily.

Regardless, I am curious to bring this to Apple again to see what they say. If they can get a “FAILURE” reading again on my MacBook, I’ll be satisfied. Otherwise... I’m a little salty.

I think what you did was battery re-caliberation and did help, at least for a little while. You didn't fix the problem; all you did was reset the battery through software re-calibration. The true test would be how long would that battery last per charge and I think it won't last as long as when your Macbook Pro was new. Still, you need to replace the battery. A lithium ion battery does not last forever. It supposedly to last around 3-4 years or around 500 to 1000 cycles before needing replacement. So your 2015 MBP is right around that corner.
Every laptop battery has built-in smart circuitry that records the life of the battery based on expected discharge/charge cycles and its current capacity in mAh and all that is recorded ON the battery. You can't alter the odometer of the battery, but you can however reset the base charge level. So for example, if the battery only gives you say 30 minutes of life, when in fact it was giving you 4 to 5 hrs when it was brand new, then your Macbook Pro will give you a service battery indicator, because the system will actually throttle down for that reason. To conserve power as long as it can with only 30min of power. Now, what you did was reset that base level from a 4 to 5hr charge that was 100% to a 30min power charge. Re-caliberation an almost 5 year old dead battery won't bring back the battery life to brand new. So in a way, the Apple Genius rep wasn't lying and wasn't giving bad advice. The Genius was giving advice of what you should be doing based on the age of the laptop.

So how did it get to the service battery level? It could be that your friend actually used your laptop not attached to the AC outlet. To tell if it's the case, you can go to the battery status under preference and see how many charge cycles. If it's around 200-300 cycles, then the battery is pretty close to being replaced. Your friend probably used it a lot and drained it the battery completely and repeatedly so. Never drain a laptop battery down to like 5% and then do so repeatedly. Otherwise, you go through a full cycle really really quickly, because if someone does this for 2 years, then the battery can easily be drained to need service. So in away, someone is not telling you the truth about how that someone is taking care of your laptop! I personally never drain a laptop battery down to even 20% all the time. Some of the time is fine, but if it is all the time in years will shorten the battery life. So in hindsight, the Genius person didn't give you poor advice. It is such that you had successfully re-calibrated the battery to be 100%, but the capacity is NOT the same as a new battery and you won't get the same battery endurance as you would when your MBP is brand new.

I used to work in computer recycling and so often times, many people who are selling those used Macbook Pros re-calibrate their batteries to sell to un-suspecting owners and when they bought it, everything worked fine when they tested it and then eventually about a month or more later, they see a service battery again. And then they are in for a surprise that they need a new battery; already paying absurdly high for a used MBP and then having to shell out a $200 battery later on. Hope this helps.

 

[mrat93]

In retrospect, if I would have known all the issues I ended up having with it, I would have just swapped the drive for a SSD.

I have a few other stories, but I think the iMac HDD one was probably the worse.

The fact that apple is still selling iMacs with only HDD storage for up to $1300 is embarrassing. Performance on those Macs will be hindered for years, more users will have failed drives, and Apple will likely charge stupid prices to replace the same drives out of warranty.

 

[mrat93]

I think what you did was battery re-caliberation and did help, at least for a little while. You didn't fix the problem; all you did was reset the battery through software re-calibration. The true test would be how long would that battery last per charge and I think it won't last as long as when your Macbook Pro was new. Still, you need to replace the battery. A lithium ion battery does not last forever. It supposedly to last around 3-4 years or around 500 to 1000 cycles before needing replacement. So your 2015 MBP is right around that corner.
Every laptop battery has built-in smart circuitry that records the life of the battery based on expected discharge/charge cycles and its current capacity in mAh and all that is recorded ON the battery. You can't alter the odometer of the battery, but you can however reset the base charge level. So for example, if the battery only gives you say 30 minutes of life, when in fact it was giving you 4 to 5 hrs when it was brand new, then your Macbook Pro will give you a service battery indicator, because the system will actually throttle down for that reason. To conserve power as long as it can with only 30min of power. Now, what you did was reset that base level from a 4 to 5hr charge that was 100% to a 30min power charge. Re-caliberation an almost 5 year old dead battery won't bring back the battery life to brand new. So in a way, the Apple Genius rep wasn't lying and wasn't giving bad advice. The Genius was giving advice of what you should be doing based on the age of the laptop.

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I get that I shouldn't expect the battery life to be nearly as good as when I got it. coconutBattery shows:

75.6% health 3980/5263 mah capacity 357 cycles

My issue wasn't poor battery life -- it was erratic wake/sleep behavior. According to Apple, this Mac has a Max Cycle Count of 1,000. I know people with much older Macs with heavier usage that have crappy battery life, but no issues like mine did.

So, since I restored the Mac, it is essentially functioning perfectly. I am using it several hours per day and have zero sleep/wake or battery life issues. I was told that the battery needed replacing for the MacBook to function properly.
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A lot of times, battery problems are software related. As such, it is a good idea to reset all settings and if need be, wipe and set up as new. And if battery problems continue have Apple take a look.

You did the right thing, OP.

Thanks for validating me. My issue now is that I don't know if I should bother replacing the battery. And if I don't, can I fairly advertise it as fully functional? I'm still hoping the battery fails when Apple tests it again just to prove me wrong!
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I have the same model - first gen 12" rMB and it's a daily computer at home.

Last year when I had the same issue (service battery) when it was under AppleCare, the rep told me to do a PRAM and SMC reset along with wiping and restoring the OS.

Did that and started to work with no more battery warnings and the charge capacity went up to 85%.

Yeah, I had done SMC and PRAM already. I'm considering restoring from a Time Machine Backup to see if the error/issues resurface then. If so, then reinstall macOS without wiping the drive. Then, clean slate again and see.

 

[DeltaMac]

Your battery is at 75.6% health, meaning that about 75% of its original capacity is still available.
This is fairly normal - your battery loses capacity through use, and through time (battery age).
Battery health less than 80% (and less than the "magic" 1,000 charge cycles) is a usual warranty replacement - IF you were anywhere close to warranty period. 5 years old makes a no-cost replacement rather unlikely, and the level that you are now showing will likely result in the "service battery" indicator will probably re-appear sooner than later.
(no battery lasts forever, but you get to decide at some point, if you will just live with declining battery life (it will), and just use it in its present state. Probably the "biggest" issue that you might face with a declining battery, is physical - batteries do swell sometimes. Hopefully, you won't get that "lucky"!

 

[iluvmacs99]

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I get that I shouldn't expect the battery life to be nearly as good as when I got it. coconutBattery shows:

75.6% health 3980/5263 mah capacity 357 cycles

My issue wasn't poor battery life -- it was erratic wake/sleep behavior. According to Apple, this Mac has a Max Cycle Count of 1,000. I know people with much older Macs with heavier usage that have crappy battery life, but no issues like mine did.

Indeed, but if you had this failure during the warranty period or through Apple Care +, you would have had this battery replaced, because it should not had failed less than 1000 cycles. Your erratic wake/sleep behaviour and the battery status indicating service battery showed the fact that the battery needs to be replaced. Others who had higher cycles than you did, but less than 1000 and showed no issues with wake/sleep behaviour basically mean that their batteries are good and aren't defective. But keep in mind that lithium batteries aren't meant to last forever, like 5 years is a pretty long time, because the average lifespan of a lithium battery is about 2-3 years with 50% discharge rate.

The laptop battery on the Macbook is used to buffer certain mac operations that require the system to run at a full load for a long period of time, so it doesn't overheat easily. A weak battery can cause the Macbook to overheat easily in most everyday small tasks. Eventually, it will cause other issues down the road that will cause more expensive repairs. There are a number of claims that Apple Macbooks runs hot, but what most people seemed to neglect is that the most unsuspecting reason why it's hot is because the battery with a lower capacity has to work harder to deliver what would be easily deliverable with a good battery with a higher stock capacity. If you are not having any issues with yours right now, then I don't see why you can't use it, but keep in mind that just by resetting the battery does not mean that you have no battery issues. The same analog would be with COVID19. We can all stop testing and there wouldn't be any positive cases and we think COVID had gone away. All that will only do was to mask the underlying issue, when the real issue still exist. That was what I was pointing out to you that what you did was reset the test and you claimed you fixed the issue. But due to the age of the battery and once the previous battery test determined it needed service is still there to keep an eye on, especially when the battery swells due to neglect of the previous warning.

 

[mrat93]

Indeed, but if you had this failure during the warranty period or through Apple Care +, you would have had this battery replaced, because it should not had failed less than 1000 cycles. Your erratic wake/sleep behaviour and the battery status indicating service battery showed the fact that the battery needs to be replaced. Others who had higher cycles than you did, but less than 1000 and showed no issues with wake/sleep behaviour basically mean that their batteries are good and aren't defective. But keep in mind that lithium batteries aren't meant to last forever, like 5 years is a pretty long time, because the average lifespan of a lithium battery is about 2-3 years with 50% discharge rate.

The laptop battery on the Macbook is used to buffer certain mac operations that require the system to run at a full load for a long period of time, so it doesn't overheat easily. A weak battery can cause the Macbook to overheat easily in most everyday small tasks. Eventually, it will cause other issues down the road that will cause more expensive repairs. There are a number of claims that Apple Macbooks runs hot, but what most people seemed to neglect is that the most unsuspecting reason why it's hot is because the battery with a lower capacity has to work harder to deliver what would be easily deliverable with a good battery with a higher stock capacity. If you are not having any issues with yours right now, then I don't see why you can't use it, but keep in mind that just by resetting the battery does not mean that you have no battery issues. The same analog would be with COVID19. We can all stop testing and there wouldn't be any positive cases and we think COVID had gone away. All that will only do was to mask the underlying issue, when the real issue still exist. That was what I was pointing out to you that what you did was reset the test and you claimed you fixed the issue. But due to the age of the battery and once the previous battery test determined it needed service is still there to keep an eye on, especially when the battery swells due to neglect of the previous warning.

I did a few tests...

Test: Restore from Time Machine Backup	Result: Same "Service Battery" error (as if I never erased the MacBook in the first place.)
Test: Reinstall macOS on top of Time Machine Restore	Result: "Service Recommended" error appears. Per Apple: The battery's ability to hold charge is less than when it was new or it isn't functioning normally. You can safely continue to use your Mac but you should take it to an Apple Store or Apple-authorized service provider to get your battery evaluated.
Test: Wipe drive, clean install macOS	Result: No error

It seems to me that there's something in my old macOS install that's causing the error that a clean install is able to get rid of.

At this point, I still can't tell if my battery actually has issues, or if its life is slightly degraded and my old install was causing the issues.

Is there truly no OS-independent way I can determine if the battery is actually on it's last legs or not?

 

[iluvmacs99]

I suspect that if you replaced the battery, then you will be able to restore your time machine backups. It is only giving you an error, because it detected some issues with your battery and prevent damage of your backups from a failed restore as a precaution. Re-installing the OS will bypass the battery issues, but being a 5 year old battery and only about 75% capacity is about the time to replace it. I mean you can use the laptop, but if you attempt to backup your work with Time Machine and then later on, it won't allow you to restore due to a service battery error, then you're back to square one.