MacBook Pro Owners Receive Emails About $50 Million Settlement For Faulty Butterfly Keyboards

Emails informing eligible MacBook Pro owners of the $50 million settlement for a class-action lawsuit involving defective butterfly keyboards are being sent out.

According to Mac Rumors, the email details that information about the settlement, eligibility, the approval process, and other options will be revealed at a site called KeyboardSettlement.com.

Settlement Will Be Awarded To Eligible Customers Who Submit A Claim Form

In 2015 and 2016, Apple produced MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and MacBook models with butterfly keyboards.

The company lauded the keyboard's thinness and superior key feel and stability, but soon after the keyboards went on sale, customers discovered they broke easily.

Mactrast writes that customers started complaining about keys repeating, sticking, and failing in other ways after dust and other debris got into the butterfly mechanism.

Following that, a lawsuit was filed against the tech giant, alleging that Apple's repair program was insufficient due to customers' butterfly keyboards' repeated failures.

The case was filed in 2018, when a number of customers accused Apple of hiding the butterfly keyboard's flaw from customers so that it could keep selling Macs.

The tech giant settled the class-action lawsuit concerning the defective butterfly keyboards that were used in MacBook computers between 2015 and 2019 by paying $50 million in July.

With that, owners of MacBook Pro models who received at least two topcase replacements from Apple within four years of purchase will automatically be paid and sent an email with settlement details.

Meanwhile, MacBook Pro owners who had a single topcase replacement are required to fill out a claim form in order to receive compensation.

Additionally, in order to receive a modest settlement, those who had their keycaps replaced can also submit a claim form.

Read More: 5 Warning Signs That You Need to Replace Your MacBook

The Lawsuit Lists The Products Covered By The Settlement

Amounts up to $395 will be given to those who require two or more topcase replacements, with monetary awards determined by the number of repairs necessary.

Mac Rumors reports that Mac owners who fit this description will get their class notices this month.

Claims will reportedly be accepted until March 6 of next year, and a final approval hearing will take place on March 16.

It is important to note, however, that the Apple butterfly keyboard settlement only covers the following products as per Top Class Actions:

• 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)

Apple eventually abandoned the butterfly mechanism in the wake of the controversy and switched back to a scissor switch mechanism.

Following the controversy, today's Macs all have scissor switch keyboards, which are much more robust and can withstand small crumbs and dust.