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What does 'service battery' mean? do you have to pay for it?

what does it actually mean? is it free or what do I do? does it NEED to be fixed?

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on Apr 28, 2011 2:34 PM

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Posted on Apr 28, 2011 2:38 PM

Yes, if your device is telling you to service your battery, then it is HIGHLY recommended that you do so.

Not doing so can cause many problems ranging from minor problems to severe ones.


If your device is still under warranty, you should not have to pay anything to have your battery serviced. If your warranty is over, then you may want to call the Apple support line or take it to your local Apple Store to see how you would go about having your battery serviced.

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Apr 28, 2011 2:38 PM in response to ZoeLouiseRichardson

Yes, if your device is telling you to service your battery, then it is HIGHLY recommended that you do so.

Not doing so can cause many problems ranging from minor problems to severe ones.


If your device is still under warranty, you should not have to pay anything to have your battery serviced. If your warranty is over, then you may want to call the Apple support line or take it to your local Apple Store to see how you would go about having your battery serviced.

Aug 10, 2011 6:46 PM in response to Hobbit Shado

Hobbit Shado wrote:


I've gone through 260-odd charge-cycles on my MacBook, though I've never seen coconut battery before so I'll check that out...

It's pretty useful. That's a lot better than me. Still confused as to way it says service battery on yours and not mine. Not anymore that is.. Right now I'm at 79% 5:10 hours remaining. Try draining the battery out all the way and then charging it to 100%. I did that like 2-3 times and the service battery thing disappeared.

Oct 9, 2011 12:31 PM in response to Hobbit Shado

Hobbit Shado wrote:


I've got a Service Battery as well, I'm on a 2008 Macbook, bought it late December of 09, and have generally let it charge, and deplete as often as I can, without keeping it plugged in all the time.


What kind of "problems" can manifest from this?


You are wasting battery life by doing this. It is not a good idea to do this as your battery has a limited life and you are using it for no reason.

User uploaded file

Feb 26, 2012 9:47 PM in response to ZoeLouiseRichardson

Just had this happen to me. I powered down my MBP, 15" late 2008 model, around 32% last night. This morning I plugged it in and turned it on and it showed 0% and is now saying service battery. Had this since 08-09 with really no problems except a few minor glitches and bugs. Will try the SMC and resetting PRAM and see if those happen to work. If not, looks like I might be buying a new battery since the wife is getting an Ipad 2 soon, which means awhile before I get my new Mac.

What does 'service battery' mean? do you have to pay for it?

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