AppleCare-Protection-PlanMacRumors forum member MBP* posted this question about his 2014 MacBook Pro's battery under Mac Basics and Help:

"I have a 2014 13" Retina MacBook Pro which I used extensively on a daily basis. I purchased AppleCare for the sole reason of protection against battery depletion over the coming years.

It's hard for me to tell whether my battery has lost capacity, but I'm sure it has against the original figures when I first got the machine.

My question is, when will AppleCare be willing to replace the battery due to loss of capacity? Is there a percentage? How can I test it?"

The MacBook Pro's battery has almost certainly lost some battery capacity if it has been charged and depleted regularly over the past two years. A quick way to check is by clicking on the Apple logo in the top-left menu bar and choosing About This Mac. Click on System Report… and select Power from the left-hand menu.

MacBook-Pro-battery-information
The resulting page displays various information about the MacBook's battery, including its max capacity and charge remaining, both of which are expressed in milliampere hours (mAh). The battery's cycle count and condition, ranging from Normal or Replace Soon to Replace Now or Service Battery, are also listed.

Apple describes the battery status indicators as follows:

- Normal: The battery is functioning normally.
- Replace Soon: The battery is functioning normally but holds less charge than it did when it was new. You should monitor the health of the battery by checking the battery status menu periodically.
- Replace Now: The battery is functioning normally but holds significantly less charge than it did when it was new. You can safely continue using your computer, but if its lowered charging capacity is affecting your experience, you should take it to an Apple Store or Apple-authorized service provider.
- Service Battery: The battery isn’t functioning normally. You can safely use your Mac when it's connected to an appropriate power adapter, but you should take it to an Apple Store or Apple-authorized service provider as soon as possible.

In June 2015, Apple modified its AppleCare Protection Plan for the MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro to cover batteries that retain less than 80-percent of their original capacity within the extended warranty period. Apple will replace batteries under that threshold for no charge so long as the notebook remains covered under AppleCare, which costs between $249 and $349 depending on the MacBook model.

MacBook batteries are designed to retain at least 80-percent of their original capacity at 1000 complete charge cycles, similar to the iPad and Apple Watch.

There are also several free OS X apps, such as Battery Health or coconutBattery, that can determine whether your MacBook meets this criteria, and provide additional details about your battery's temperature, manufacture date, power usage, and more. A 2012 Retina MacBook Pro with a current max charge of 7,171 mAh, for example, has retained nearly 85-percent of its original 8,460 mAh capacity.

Battery-Health-CoconutBattery
If the MacBook is not covered by AppleCare, or the extended warranty period has expired, replacing the battery carries an out-of-warranty service charge ranging between $129 and $199, plus applicable taxes, based on U.S. pricing. Battery service and troubleshooting can be arranged by contacting an Apple Authorized Service Provider or scheduling a Genius Bar appointment with a local Apple retail store.

AppleCare for Mac extends a MacBook's warranty coverage and telephone technical support to three years from the original date of purchase. Without an AppleCare Protection Plan, Mac customers are covered by a limited one-year warranty and 90 days of complimentary phone support. AppleCare can be purchased only while the Mac remains covered under Apple's standard one-year limited warranty.

Top Rated Comments

mfvisuals Avatar
116 months ago
While all this is true, don't forget that batteries don't last forever regardless. So they will eventually need to be replaced.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pat500000 Avatar
116 months ago
So the apple care was worthless because doing anything that might result in using it ultimately negates it? Did you try another Apple Store or different employees on another day?
Well..to be fair, I don't think it's right for a customer to drive to another place or talk to another genius person. It would be better to talk higher level staff. If they don't respect the policy...there goes the violation..and can be sued for false advertisement/ false-leading type.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shareef777 Avatar
116 months ago
This is the only metric I've seen Apple post:


http://www.apple.com/batteries/service-and-recycling/

This is what the AppleCare Terms and Conditions says:

http://www.apple.com/legal/sales-support/applecare/appmacnaen.html
Except Apple employees don't always follow those guidelines. I was at 78% at about 700 cycles just before AC was going to expire and they wouldn't replace it (stating that I used my battery 'excessively').
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PhantasticOne Avatar
116 months ago
They replaced mine recently, I said it was holding less than I thought it should, showed them my notebook, 4 days later I got it back with new batteries.
I just don't understand the MAC appeal. I just replaced the battery on my 3 year-old Dell laptop that is still serving me well. It cost me just under $35.00 including shipping and I snapped it in myself in about 30 seconds.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
steiney Avatar
116 months ago
('https://www.macrumors.com/guide/applecare-macbook-battery-replacement/')

MacBook batteries are designed to retain up to 80-percent of their original capacity at 1000 complete charge cycles, similar to the iPad and Apple Watch ('https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/apple-watch/').

Article Link: When Can AppleCare Replace a MacBook's Battery? ('https://www.macrumors.com/guide/applecare-macbook-battery-replacement/')
Just want to point out, I think the author meant to write "at least 80 percent" versus "up to 80 percent". Apple designed the batteries so 80 percent is the lower acceptable limit for a battery at 1000 cycles.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
austintg Avatar
116 months ago
I just don't understand the MAC appeal. I just replaced the battery on my 3 year-old Dell laptop that is still serving me well. It cost me just under $35.00 including shipping and I snapped it in myself in about 30 seconds.
Well mine was $0 and they have top notch customer service plus an ecosystem that I'm not ready to give up. I've been using Mac since 97 and haven't ever seen the need to use Windows regularly. I have Windows 10 pro on my Mac so if I happened to need it I have quick access through BootCamp. Can't say that about a Dell, you're stuck with one system all the time that gives you a headache because it doesn't run efficiently nor makes sense. I say use whatever you want, and I choose Mac for myself because it works hassle free and I make a ton of money editing video in final cut, which is some of the least hard work for the most money I've ever done.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

iPhone Foldable Display Said to Feature iPad-Style 4:3 Aspect Ratio

Friday March 28, 2025 3:44 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming "iPhone Fold" will feature a foldable screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, according to a Chinese leaker who previously leaked the book-style device's display dimensions. The Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station claims that Apple will adopt a "roughly" 4:3 aspect ratio on the inner display in order to achieve consistency between the outer display, as well as to ensure parity...