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"Service Battery" Indicator

alphaod said:
They'll run a test which they have utility for; if the test says the battery failed, they'll replace the battery.
Click to expand...

So it is not a Snow Leopard related bug? Or a better question is if you can get the "service battery" warning prior to Snow Leopard?

As it takes a bit of travel to the nearest Apple store, what are the chances that I have this warning on my MBA and still pass the store battery test?
 
I have no idea if it's a bug. I don't have that issue, so I can't say. You're best bet is to have it tested. If you don't want to take it to the store you can call AppleCare and they'll most likely replace it anyways because they can't really diagnose it by phone.

Have you tried resetting the PRAM and SMC?
 
adamjackson said:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/26681/snow-leopard-encourages-battery-replacements
Click to expand...

Thanks. The article confirms that this is a new SL feature. Anybody else got the "service battery" message aside from me? I will do a full discharge recalibration tonight.

faxao said:
Wow....62% sounds really bad compared to my Rev.B (Jan 09), 75 cycles, 94% health.
Click to expand...
Wow! mine went 75% just after a month's use. Makes me think I really need a trip to the Apple Store for warranty replacement.

voodoofish said:
In this Apple document it suggests resetting the SMC and seeing if the message goes away.
Click to expand...
Did this, and it didn't work. I even installed the MBA SMC update dated March I think.
 
I have read other threads about other Macs getting error after installation of SL. I have to believe it's either an error or SL has lowered some threshold on reporting low battery capacity/health. Try searching the MBP section for other reports.

Good luck.
 
I've had this issue for two days. I tried everything including resetting the SMC and the PRAM with absolutely no luck. I just calibrated the battery for the first time since I installed SL and when the computer got down to about 15% battery the "Service Battery" indicator disappeared. Everyone experiencing this issue try recalibrating the battery first before all the other procedures. My Battery life is actually better with SL now that the computer recognizes the condition of the battery.

Effin double post...
 
I've had this issue for two days. I tried everything including resetting the SMC and the PRAM with absolutely no luck. I just calibrated the battery for the first time since I installed SL and when the computer got down to about 15% battery the "Service Battery" indicator disappeared. Everyone experiencing this issue try recalibrating the battery first before all the other procedures. My Battery life is actually better with SL now that the computer recognizes the condition of the battery.

PS. My Battery Health was 70% according to iStat during this problem prior to calibration. It is now 85% and is a two year old battery with just over 200 recharge cycles on it.

RECALIBRATE!
 
RHatton said:
RECALIBRATE!
Click to expand...

I did a full discharge/recharge calibration and still no luck. It even reduced my iStat life from 62% to 54%. My MBA is still under warranty so I'm a bit confident they'll replace it, I just need to find the time to travel to the apple store.
 
I thought I'd make an update even if it is late.

  • seems like a snow leopard related feature
  • brought it at apple store (unit is still under warranty) and they did a test
  • they replaced the battery right in store free of charge
 
Response from Apple

For worth it's worth, I thought I'd add the details of my conversation with Apple on this subject 5 minutes ago.

I phoned Apple UK support and after getting through to somebody they said that it appeared to be a software issue so they then checked how long I had been running SL. As soon as they realized that it had been more than 3 months he insisted that he would not continue unless I paid £35 per hour for software support.

I asked what Apple's response to the issue was given that its was very public and widely known that there may be an issue with SL and Macbook Pro batteries. His response was that Apple were not aware of any issues at all and this was a new issue. So, either Apple are lying or or they are genuinely not aware of this thread and others of the same theme as they are not monitoring consumer confidence.

Personally this feels like, and I'm aware that I sound a little paranoid on this, a feeble approach to get us to buy replacement hardware (£100 ish) because we have owned our equipment and its about time we fed the Apple money machine again. I have used Apple's for over 20 years and I always thought that they were beyond this poor level of support. I used to work for Microsoft and despite frowns and poor comments I continued to use my Apple laptops because of their support and reliability which I now feel a little embarrassed about.

Also, Apple commented that they don't participate in forums! Well, this link, http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2139186&tstart=0 is actually hosted by Apple and proves that they are aware of the issues despite their comments on their telephone support lines. If this was Microsoft we'd all be up in arms over this and shouting from the rooftops.

My suggestion therefore is that we all make formal complaints to the local trading standards authorities (not sure what the US equivalent is) and make a little more noise over this subject so that they are able to hear what is typically a very enthusiastic user base who seem to have lost their voice (or is it that Apple have lost their ability to hear?). Also, email the TV consumer programs as I am sure that they would be willing to help us in our quest to be heard.

Remember their brilliant 1984 advert? Well Apple, the worm is turning, Big Brother is now watching you!
 
Well, I've updated to 10.6.3 and nothing. I even tried doing a complete reformat and for a couple of weeks I didn't get the message. But just sometime during the past couple days, it showed up again and has not gone away since. I don't get it. I baby the crap out of my battery. Unless I got a bad egg, this must be a software problem. Come on Apple! Please help us!
 
Same thing here.... brand new 17 " MBP, purchased september 09. January 2010, Service battery message several time. Took it in to Apple store, did battery test while I waited; all tests on battery at apple store were fine. Happened again, spoke to applecare, store swapped battery and charger. fast forward to April 2010, service battery- again in apple store for checkup- nothing wrong with battery but the computer was missing a thermosync something-or-other, which they put in, ran more tests- battery tests came out fine. My MBP didn't- it had a small dent on the top lid!! I have to bring it in for them to replace when the part comes in. Got the MBP HOME and.... guess what?? SERVICE BATTERY AND my control key didn't work, but that's another story. Spoke to applecare again, very frustrated. They spoke to the store, bringing it back in for further test, and a new display and top cover to correct their damage (can't figure out HOW!) and control key, and check battery AGAIN. Apple care was nice, offered me a gift- between $50 and $100. Picked out a laptop BAG and got it in two days! great in good faith gesture, but does't change the problems I'm having, IN THE MEANTIME... no service battery YET, but computer is going back in tomorrow. It's like when you go to the dentist and your tooth stops hurting! My guess is that they will find nothing. INSIST on them swapping out your battery... at least this time!
 
"service battery"

Snow Leopard has a more refined battery management system.
You may get the message “service battery”. This means that your battery could be better hold more energy than what it does at present.

One of the reasons may be that you used the mac for a long time on the AC power - the battery got lazy and built up a “memory” of not using full capacity.

An app like “coconutBattery.app” will show you what percentage is left in your battery and you can trace change.

Should you want to get rid of the service battery do the following:

Unplug the AC power supply
Work on it (don’t forget to save) or cycle a video until the battery is at 0% and the the mac goes into sleep mode
The white diode at the front will still cycle. This means the mac has still some battery left to keep your last work as a safety precaution. It is important to drain the battery fully.
You must wait until the diode stopped cycling. This can can take 5 hours or best wait overnight till the diode has drained the last energy out of the battery.
Then remove the battery and hold the power button for 10 seconds pressed. This will reset the mac’s battery management.
The battery pack back in and plug the mac to AC power.
Restart and watch the tiny indicator light on the AC mag save charger turn from green to orange. This indicates your battery charges. The same is displayed on the battery bar on the display. (Should it not charge - Then remove the battery again and hold the power button for 10 seconds pressed.)
Keep the AC power connected and charge the battery until the orange light turns green and the green light turns off.
Then repeat the hole cycle - change can be monitored with “coconutBattery.app”.

My mac needed 3 times full loading and full discharge. The change was 7% or 450mAh more. The service battery is gone.
 
frey4711 said:
Snow Leopard has a more refined battery management system.
You may get the message “service battery”. This means that your battery could be better hold more energy than what it does at present.

One of the reasons may be that you used the mac for a long time on the AC power - the battery got lazy and built up a “memory” of not using full capacity.

An app like “coconutBattery.app” will show you what percentage is left in your battery and you can trace change.

Should you want to get rid of the service battery do the following:

Unplug the AC power supply
Work on it (don’t forget to save) or cycle a video until the battery is at 0% and the the mac goes into sleep mode
The white diode at the front will still cycle. This means the mac has still some battery left to keep your last work as a safety precaution. It is important to drain the battery fully.
You must wait until the diode stopped cycling. This can can take 5 hours or best wait overnight till the diode has drained the last energy out of the battery.
Then remove the battery and hold the power button for 10 seconds pressed. This will reset the mac’s battery management.
The battery pack back in and plug the mac to AC power.
Restart and watch the tiny indicator light on the AC mag save charger turn from green to orange. This indicates your battery charges. The same is displayed on the battery bar on the display. (Should it not charge - Then remove the battery again and hold the power button for 10 seconds pressed.)
Keep the AC power connected and charge the battery until the orange light turns green and the green light turns off.
Then repeat the hole cycle - change can be monitored with “coconutBattery.app”.

My mac needed 3 times full loading and full discharge. The change was 7% or 450mAh more. The service battery is gone.
Click to expand...

think you may be describing a process for a MacBook - the Air has a non-removable battery.
 
If I take it to an Apple Store will they charge me for replacing the battery? My warranty expired already, I bought my MacBook Pro on June 2009.

What does that Service Battery mean? Did I do something wrong or is my battery just bad?
 
halledise said:
think you may be describing a process for a MacBook - the Air has a non-removable battery.
Click to expand...
If you click the link on how to reset the SMC, you'll see a link down on that page that says:
Resetting the SMC on portables with a battery you should not remove on your own
Click that link and you'll see:
Note: Portable computers that have a battery you should not remove on your own include MacBook Pro (Early 2009) and later, all models of MacBook Air, and MacBook (Late 2009).
Click to expand...
Follow the instructions on how to reset the SMC on your MBA.

This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions: Apple Notebook Battery FAQ
 
mahakali said:
The full discharge/charge described in frey's post fixed my battery problem after two attempts. I also downloaded coconutBattery, and so far it helped upping my battery capacity from 74% to 77%. I'll continue to fully discharge regularly.

http://img838.imageshack.us/i/screenshot20110207at555.png/

Thanks frey for the hints!
Click to expand...
Coconut battery doesn't improve your battery capacity at all. It simply reports the current condition of your battery. frey4711's post is inaccurate in stating "the battery got lazy and built up a “memory” of not using full capacity." Lithium polymer batteries used in Apple notebooks do not have a memory effect at all.

frey4711's post (his first and only post in this forum, and that was 6 months ago) is not recommended as a usual custom. It's basically combining battery calibration and resetting the SMC. You don't need to do them together. You can calibrate without resetting the SMC, and vice versa.

Read the Battery FAQ I posted for accurate information regarding battery use and maintenance.
 
Battery Service

If anyone has had their battery serviced could you tell me if they check your hard drive or anything like that or do they JUST check the status of your battery?
 
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