MacBook Pro 15" (2018) Keyboard "t" key repeating issue?

Used Apple program (active for 4 years after the first retail sale of the unit.), battery and keyboard are brand new and working fine.

Don't try anything else, wont work. https://www.apple.com/support/keyboard-service-program-for-macbook-and-macbook-pro/

I'm in Italy. At an Apple reseller they scan my Mac, was entitled for the program, left it with me (I have to work), in 3 days the top case arrived and they changed also the battery. In 2 hours.

Went into the Apple Store with the same problem the other day. Managed to recreate the issue and lost my computer for a week to have the top case replaced, but it’s working fine now! Seems like the best option. Or if you have a busy work calendar - try unshaky from GitApp it will reduce the repeats to maybe 5% instead of 20%+. Hope this helps

I've had the same issue on my MacBook Pro 13" 2018. For me, it was the spacebar which kept repeating. It was very easy to spot because there is a keyboard setting on the Mac that makes a double space appear as a fullstop then a space. It was intermittent, which was a real pain - it would appear repeat

Fortunately, this came up while it was under warranty. I took it to the Apple Store who promptly replaced the 'top case' of the laptop - apparently this is the keyboard, Touch Bar, speakers etc., everything that is attached to the top half of the casing. I picked it up today and it all seems fine so far (not that I would necessarily have been able to tell immediately, as the issue is intermittent). I'll see how it goes over the next few weeks.

One comment they did make at the Apple Store was that people tend to get the issue with the keys that are regularly used in typing and which are used in lots of words. I guess the implication is that heavily used keys may develop the issue over time. This would ring true with the spacebar being the issue that I experienced but I really don't type much at all, so don't think that was the issue, at least not in my case.

Here is a way to definitively test your keyboard for physical defect, and rule out software issues, while avoiding Apple Support's request that you reinstall macOS:

1. Restart computer
2. Immediately hold down Command and R
3. From the Utility menu select Terminal (you may be required to enter your administrator password)

Now you are able to type into the window without any interference from your operating system. Any problems exhibited here would surely still exist after you reinstall macOS. It is because at this time you are running a special program that is outside your operating system. You are outside the Matrix.

Now pretend your afflicted keyboard key is an old school telephone with just the numbers 1 thru 9 on it. Perform this definitive test:

• Tap 1, tap 2, ..., tap 9 -- expecting to see 9 total of the key you typed on the screen, then press return.
• Swipe East 1 to 3, 4 to 6, 7 to 9 -- expecting to see 3 total of the key you pressed on the screen, then press return.
• Repeat the above for swipes in the South, West and North directions.
• Repeat the above (including the above repeat) for each of your four typing fingers on the hand you would normally use to type that key*.

*Why? During this first test you probably first did it using your pointer finger. However, during real world use you are likely to be interacting with that key using a different finger. Different fingers apply different amounts of pressure on keys. That makes this test better. For me, I had a problem with the "a" key. During the first test I did not see the problem when I pounded the key head-on, staring at it and using my pointer finger. Trying again with my pinky finger (which is preferred for the "a" key!) immediately reproduced the problem.

If this test reproduces the problem then do your backups and take the Mac to the store.

GUYS ! I HAVE FOUND THE SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM !

All you have to do is install this : https://github.com/aahung/Unshaky/releases

It's called "Unshaky", this app will fix the delay response of each of the key of your keyboard and it will fix everything !

It worked for me !

Thanks for posting this message. I hadn't read through the full string of comments and DIDN'T see the app. Just installed it and so far it's working perfectly. Really easy to setup (see the YouTube video) and get your sanity back! After only 3 minutes of using it, Unshaky has stopped 15 key presses.

Had this issue for a few months now (MacBook Pro 15inch, 2018), with much more frequent occurrences when the laptop is hot. Went into the apple store a few weeks ago and was offered a top case replacement, but couldn't cope without my laptop for the 7-10 days they said it would take. Had the keyboard cleaned and was told to come back in if it kept happening (which it obviously did.... though I have been using Unshaky which has improved the situation somewhat).

Even with Unshaky, the repeated keys were still an issue, so I booked a Genius Bar appointment and returned today. Genius inspected the laptop and replaced the "a" and "t" keys with new keycaps (not the whole keyboard and top case). I'll be interested to see if the problem returns - at least this option meant I was able to walk out of the store with my laptop, and so far no repeating keys since!

Interestingly, during the appointment the genius said the keycaps are "consumable" items and therefore they wear out. My laptop is only around 6 months old now - seems pretty unreasonable to me that a) a $4k laptop has "consumable" keycaps - I've never had a laptop before where this has been a thing and b) that these keycaps would be "consumed" in as little as 6 months.

So I went to apple yesterday and showed it to the genius. She couldn’t understand it but had said she’s seen it in the 2018 models a few times. It was put in for a key cap swap and that seemed to fix it when I got it back but 30 mins later at home, double and triple press galore on the same keys. So gonna have to go back and get a top case replacement. Its getting to the point where apple needs to admit the 2018 models (MBA & MPB) have similar issues to the 2016 and 2017 butterfly keys and add them to the repair program.

I just got a 13" i7 refurb that may have been turned in for this reason. My problem was (possible still is) the "t". As someone up-thread mentioned, easing the keyboard delay and repeat speed back one or two ticks from the min/max helps a great deal. It possibly fixes it. I'm writing this post without much of a problem, it's warm but not "hot".

However, I've seen this behavior before. Back when I was still using KDE on a desktop, the state of KDE 5 had declined to such a dismal state that the key bounce filtering stopped working. Somebody messed up a library or something and as the giant trash pile of bug reports got continually ignored, I was at a loss as to what to do. Switching to XFCE fixed the problem and I haven't used KDE since. From observing the behavior of my new Macbook Pro, this is what I infer from what I've seen:

• Unwanted multiple keypresses are due to failure of key bounce filtering.
• Unintended multiple keypresses are fundamentally unrelated to debris issues, though debris (because of the tight tolerances with the butterfly mechanism) could cause changes to the actuation of the key which could cause a change to the key bounce profile of individual switches.
• The key bounce of switches varies enough due to the manufacturing process that key switches get out the door that are out of spec, or the spec is wrong, and/or the default key bounce filtering in MacOS is not matched to the spec, especially at the minimal delay setting and the maximum repeat setting.
• Specifically, the default key bounce filtering is hard-coded to a range which is insufficient to accommodate the variability in switch operation according to temperature, manufacturing variation, differences in actuation due to debris and typing style, and the allowable settings in the normal non-accessibility mode.
• Key bounce is affected by the temperature of the switch, making it worse as the machine warms up.
• Accessibility key bounce filtering (Slow Keys) is an adjustable range that is applied to the whole keyboard. The adjustability allows a non-conforming keyboard to be usable when the user is unaware of the limitations of minimum delay/maximum repeat (or if a switch is so far out of spec that even the accessibility settings can't accommodate it). However, when accessibility Slow Keys is being used, it drags in a suite of accessibility changes (repeat rate goes to 1/sec for arrow keys with no adjustability, character option menus do not fire) that make the keyboard only semi-functional at best.
• There is no ability to "tweak" the key bounce filtering range for just the few switches of a keyboard which operate out of spec.
• Cleaning the keyboard will cool it off, change the switch bounce profile, and possibly jiggle or clean the butterfly mechanism enough to change the actuation dynamics of the key. This will temporarily change the bounce profile of the switch. The improvement will revert due to temperature cycling and repeated actuation, re-creating the out-of-spec bounce profile.

Keypress-not-read is not an issue I've seen so far. It is likely a debris issue but there may be a situation where the bounce profile of the switch is out of spec enough (not quite enough signal upon actuation) that it won't read properly. Temperature is likely an issue here but with the opposite effect: switches probably begin working better as they get warmer. I've seen this problem with a ThinkPad.

[Edited by Host]

Yes, it gets worse. Replaced my top case twice, going in for a third time as soon as I can spare 4 days without my laptop. This free app Unshaky does help a lot, gets rid of the issue 90%+ of the time. Google Unshaky, it's the first link.

Hey all. Success on this issue!

https://www.apple.com/support/keyboard-service-program-for-mac-notebooks/

Again. I got my keyboard replaced for free as per the service recall I posted earlier. Problem went away.

@sven5000 Well actually my Macbook is currently being fixed with the program and I have a 2018 model. I just brought my Macbook back to the store and told them the problem and they ok we will fix this. But its been 1,5 week now and still didnt get it back :( Guess patience is the key here :)

Two updates from me: one, I did call to tell the people at Apple that this is an issue that is happening. I told them that I didn't know if I could part with my computer for any length of time, but wanted to add my name to the list of people that this was happening to. The very kind upper manager (who I was sent to immediately) said that it would actually be helpful for me to bring the laptop in, as they mark every computer that comes in with the issue and it helps them troubleshoot. Also, he said that since my computer is still under warranty, there might be a chance that they'll just replace the laptop when I go instead of taking it for a couple of weeks. I haven't gone yet due to time constraints but I'm much more likely to, now.

Also, that Unshaky app does seem to help a ton. Many thanks to the developer and you guys that found it. And it seems to imply that this issue really isn't totally a hardware based one, perhaps?

Same story. After 3 months 3 keys were repeating - ‘o’, ‘i’ and ‘t’. The top case was fixed under warranty, and now ‘i’ has started repeating again after only 10 weeks.

First time i took it to Apple they said it could take up to 30 days to fix which is a not an option - so I bought a Dell XPS running Ubuntu as a replacement machine. It took a bit of getting used to, but it cost half as much as the MacBook Pro, it’s upgradable, the cpu is faster and Ubuntu has the same development tools I was using on the Mac.

Apple ended up fixing it in about 2 weeks and I went back to my MacBook.

For the majority of people who are not professional typists, this problem will go unnoticed as they will assume they have made mistakes. But if you’re a programmer or writer it’s an extremely frustration problem.

If if it happens out of warranty I am not paying to get it fixed. Dumping a 1 year old, 3000€ laptop is not something I can get past and I would imagine I’ll switch full time to my Dell.

I posted a video of the problem

https://youtu.be/iyIoTp5vzIs