Apple's $50 Million Settlement Over Faulty MacBook Keyboards: What to Know

The butterfly keyboard used in certain MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models is alleged to be faulty and Apple has agreed to pay $50 million to resolve the case.

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The settlement still needs to receive final court approval. In the meantime, here is everything to know about the agreement as currently proposed.

Eligible Customers

Any person who meets all three criteria will be covered by the proposed settlement.

• Purchased any MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro equipped with a butterfly keyboard between 2015 and 2019 in the United States (except for resale purposes)
• Obtained a qualifying keyboard repair from Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider
• The repair did not resolve your keyboard issues

MacBook models sold outside of the US are not subject to the class action lawsuit.

Eligible MacBook Models

• MacBook (Retina, 12-­inch, Early 2015)
• MacBook (Retina, 12­-inch, Early 2016)
• MacBook (Retina, 12-­inch, 2017)
• MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
• MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
• MacBook Pro (13­-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
• MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2016)
• MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2017)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2018)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2019)

You can identify your Mac by clicking on the Apple logo in the top- left corner of the screen and then clicking on "About This Mac" in the menu.

Payout Amounts

It depends on how many people submit a claim and how much Apple pays out.

• Class members who obtained two or more top case replacements from Apple or an Authorized Service Provider within four years after purchase of an eligible MacBook model, based on Apple's records, will be paid automatically without the need to submit a claim, according to the proposed settlement. Apple's payment to each class member in this group is estimated to be between $300 and $395.
• Class members who obtained one top case replacement from Apple or an Authorized Service Provider within four years after purchase of an eligible MacBook model, and who attest on a claim form that the repair did not resolve their keyboard issues, are estimated to receive up to $125.
• Class members who obtained one or more key cap replacements (but no top case replacements) from Apple or an Authorized Service Provider within four years after purchase of an eligible MacBook model, and who attest that the repair did not resolve their keyboard issues, are estimated to receive up to $50.

If you received a record of the repair from Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider, you'll be able to tell if you got a top case replacement or a key cap replacement. The component included in the top case is a MacBook's keyboard. Individual keys are referred to as key caps.

According to the proposed settlement, each of the 12 named class representatives will receive up to $5,000 as an award for their time and effort, and lawyers will receive up to 30% of the Settlement Fund.

Only class members who received repairs from an Apple authorized service provider are eligible for settlement payouts. According to the proposed agreement, the settlement does not reimburse unauthorized third-party repair providers.

Request for Exclusion

The people who fit the description of the proposed class have the right to not be part of the settlement. If you exclude yourself from the settlement, you won't be able to get aPayout as part of the settlement, but you still have the right to file a lawsuit against Apple.

Class members can request exclusion through the forthcoming settlement website or by mail. After preliminary approval of the settlement, 95 days will be needed for exclusion.

Apple Denies Any Wrongdoing

According to the proposed settlement, Apple denied all of the allegations in the lawsuit.

Apple denies all of the allegations made in the lawsuit, denies that any MacBooks are defective, and denies that Apple did anything improper or unlawful. Apple asserts numerous defenses to the claims in this case. The proposed settlement to resolve this case is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing of any kind by Apple.

Apple concluded that a settlement would be in its best interests to avoid additional time and legal expenses.

The court did not rule in favor of Apple or the people who sued them.

Next Steps

A website will be created where class members can file a claim, submit a request for exclusion, and learn more about the settlement.

The email addresses of each class member will be provided by Apple to the administrator. Class members will be notified by email in due time. Class members can be notified by mail. Once live, it will be possible to submit a claim through the settlement website if you don't receive a notice.

After preliminary approval of the settlement, there will be a final hearing to decide the fairness of the deal, which will take at least 130 days to complete.

Apple's Free Keyboard Service Program

A small percentage of the keyboards in certain MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models may exhibit one or more of the following behaviors, which prompted Apple to launch a keyboard service program.

• Letters or characters repeat unexpectedly
• Letters or characters do not appear
• Key(s) feel "sticky" or do not respond in a consistent manner

For up to four years after the first retail sale of the affected notebook, eligible MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro keyboards will be repaired free of charge. The problem with the repair program is that Apple replaces the butterfly keyboard with another one, which means that the same issues may recur over time.

If customers think their MacBook was affected by this issue, they can contact Apple to get a refund.

Apple apologized in March. "We are aware that a small number of users are having issues with their third- generation butterfly keyboard and for that we are sorry," an Apple spokesman told The Wall Street Journal. The majority of Mac notebook customers are happy with the keyboard.

The butterfly keyboard was replaced by a more reliable scissor keyboard for the 16-inch MacBook Pro. After years of complaints, Apple has stopped selling Macs with butterfly keyboards.