Marko Zivkovic
Apple no longer offers free repairs for MacBook models with the infamous "butterfly" keyboard, as the repair program for these machines has officially ended.
The program was available for a wide variety of MacBook models sold between 2015 and 2020, including different MacBook Air and MacBook Pro configurations. With the repair program's end, however, it's now no longer possible to get these machines repaired by Apple at no cost.
This will ultimately cause frustration for some users, as they will now have to resort to third-party repair shops and have the machine repaired out of pocket. It's widely known that the butterfly keyboard has significant durability problems, with notable flaws surfacing less than a year after its introduction.
In 2015, with the release of the 12-inch MacBook, Apple showed off a keyboard with a unique butterfly-style switch mechanism. Unlike the standard scissor mechanism used on previous MacBooks, the butterfly keyboard consisted of a single assembly supported by a stainless steel dome switch.
At the time, Apple executive Phil Schiller said the new butterfly keyboard was 40% thinner than ones with the scissor mechanism, and stated that it was four times more stable. Complaints about the keyboard soon began piling up, however.
The history of the butterfly keyboard is riddled with claims of durability issues
Users started experiencing problems with the new-and-improved keyboard, even as Apple unveiled the second-generation butterfly keyboard with the 2016 MacBook Pro. Common complaints included sticky and unresponsive keys, as well as characters that appeared unexpectedly.
So common were the issues with the butterfly keyboard that Apple eventually introduced a free repair program following a class-action lawsuit in 2018. The program allowed users who experienced issues with the butterfly keyboard to have it repaired at no cost. This was available up to four years after Apple stopped selling the affected MacBooks.
Meanwhile, the related class-action lawsuit was settled in July of 2022. Users who replaced multiple butterfly keyboards at their own expense were eligible for a maximum payout of $395, while those who replaced one keyboard would receive $125. Even if only a single keycap was replaced, users were still able to receive $50 as a result of the settlement.
Payments for this settlement started arriving in August of 2024. It's worth pointing out, though, that only users from the states of California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, or Washington who had the machines repaired at their expense are covered by the settlement.
The end of the butterfly keyboard
While the 12-inch MacBook was eventually discontinued, the company continued to use the issue-prone butterfly keyboard throughout 2018 on the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The same year, Apple added a silicone membrane to reduce noise, though the iPhone maker made it very clear the move wasn't going to improve keyboard durability.
Apple also made some minor design changes in 2019, but they seemingly did little to address the core issue. The butterfly keyboard stuck around for a few more months after that.
In March 2019, the company acknowledged that "a small number of users" were having issues with the butterfly keyboard, and issued an apology. The butterfly keyboard was then phased out in October of the same year, with the release of an updated 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Butterfly keyboard free repair eligibility
Even though Apple had a repair program in place, the company didn't automatically replace fully functional keyboards. Only users who actually experienced problems with their keyboard were able to get a free repair.
Apple offered repairs for the butterfly keyboards until November 2024.In particular, this included the following problems:
- Letters or characters that did not appear when pressed
- Letters or characters that repeated unexpectedly
- A key or keys that felt "sticky" or did not respond in a consistent manner
Apple was required to repair the keyboards on all 2015 through 2017 12-inch MacBooks, 2018 and 2019 MacBook Air models, as well as various 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models announced between 2016 and 2019.
Select models of the 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro were still available brand new until November 2020, meaning that the repair program only concluded in November 2024. This was the last MacBook to feature a keyboard with the problematic butterfly mechanism, as newer models reverted to the tried-and-true scissor mechanism via the Magic Keyboard.
All of the affected machines were Intel-based, and Apple seemingly has no plans to bring back the butterfly keyboard anytime soon. In October 2024, Apple announced a new MacBook Pro equipped with the state-of-the-art M4 chip, which supports Apple Intelligence. Unsurprisingly, this model uses a standard scissor-mechanism keyboard.
There have been no major complaints from users about keyboard reliability since Apple moved on from the butterfly mechanism. Users of older MacBook models may still face problems with their keyboards, but Apple is no longer obligated to provide free repairs.
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3 Comments
I maybe one of the few users who preferred the butterfly over the scissors. The keys on the butterfly felt more stable and the keyboard more modern. I remember when I upgraded to the M2, the keyboard keys felt clunkier and more backlighting escaped from the edges of the keys.
I didn't mind the butterfly keyboard when it comes to typing but it did cause mechanical problems - it's simply not resilient nor durable. Keys easily get stuck.
When my macbook swelled a bit due to defect in battery (it was recalled btw), a little swelling caused keyboard to stop working. If it was a regular keyboard, it would have kept working until it's really swollen. After I got it replaced, I started having issues with a few being stuck so I traded in for a new MacBook with scissors keyboard.
Butterfly keyboard was one of the worst ever created by Apple. The typing experience was actually great if they work but like I said, simply not durable nor resilient.
I tried to get a 2018 MacBook Pro fixed but it was my son's laptop and Ihe suffered with it for a while and then we just bought another MacBook. I didn't get around to reporting it until last year. Since it was outside the 4 year period, they wouldn't accept it for repair. So the end is just for the latest models, anything earlier ended with the 4 year window.
Now I use it as we desktop computer with an external keyboard. I really would have loved to be able to use it as a laptop but most of ht keys don't work.