Apple Offering Free Smart Keyboard Repairs Under New 3-Year Policy

[kazmac]

It's good that they are stepping up to the plate with these repairs. I found the 12.9 smart keyboard more comfortable to type on than the butterfly keyboards on the rMB and 2016 rMBPs. Haven't used any of these extensively though and probably won't given my iPad history.

 

[BanditoB]

Haven't experienced any typing issues with my 9.7" smart keyboard, and I generally like it overall, but I am annoyed that the seam around the edges of the keyboard has split/frayed.

I haven't had any fraying issues with my daily-used keyboard cover for my 12.9" iPad Pro. You are certainly entitled to a replacement for this problem, so make a Genius Bar appointment, get it replaced, and be happy again!

 

[gorkt]

Mine has frayed along the sides, and I was planning on seeing if I could get a replacement. Glad to know I have plenty of time to do that.

 

[Yumbo]

Apple has initiated a new three-year service policy for the Smart Keyboard for both the 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, MacRumors has learned.

Apple has determined that some Smart Keyboards may experience "functional issues" during use, such as the Smart Connector not working or certain keys sticking, repeating, or not responding, according to an internal memo distributed to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers last week.

Apple says it will service any qualifying Smart Keyboard free of charge within three years of the date it was originally purchased.

We recommend affected customers call an Apple Store to schedule a Genius Bar appointment or visit an Apple Authorized Service Provider to initiate the repair process. Affected customers can also contact Apple support by phone, online chat, or email by selecting iPad > iPad Accessories on this page.

Due to the newness of this service policy, some Apple support employees may be unfamiliar with its existence, in which case we recommend escalating your request to a senior AppleCare advisor.

Article Link: Apple Offering Free Smart Keyboard Repairs Under New 3-Year Policy

You can't call the Apple Store for a booking.
It routes to AppleCare.
Use the app.

 

[ElQben]

One product category which I think Apple is missing out on is a "laptop for normal people/millennials". In my opinion, they should make a (fairly ho-hum) clam-shell laptop that runs a version of iOS that is customized to allow for windowed apps and is also mouse + right-click friendly. If they started it at $699 or so, I think would appeal to A LOT of people who aren't really interested in learning all the ins-and-outs of MacOS. I'd call it the iBook, and it would sell like crazy.

 

[haskell five]

Mine works fine but I think that the software managing the writing could act better. The auto-correct is much much more annoying than when one writes using the screen keyboard. Like when you digit "a and it changes it to ä if you don't notice.

This was obnoxious for me as well, but they added a separate preferances panel for hardware keyboards which is a lifesaver: connect your keyboard > settings > general > keyboards > hardware keyboards > turn off auto capitalization and correct with hardware keyboards. IMO this should be off by default.

 

[Royksöpp]

Isn't it unrepairable? So is Apple going to just replace them?

 

[lfeagan]

I had similar problems with keyboard input degradation happening over a period of months. Initially, it was just an occasional failure to be responsive after waking from sleep and a simple disconnect/reconnect resolved it. Then it started becoming that while typing, some of the keys would become non-responsive. Unfortunately, this often included the space bar, which made the keyboard nearly useless. In these early stages, I could always reboot the iPad and it would go back to working. Initially it would work for a week or more before the symptoms would re-appear. But eventually it became something that would happen after less than an hour of use. After a couple of hours of diagnostics and two trips, Apple gave me a replacement keyboard. In the end, after lots of tweaking with the software and resetting things without success, we took the drastic step of a full reinstall of the OS, and it has worked fine since. The resolution came about five months ago.

I've been really happy with mine, but I did run into this problem with the original one I purchased and had the Apple Store replace it for me sometime late last year.

Basically the keyboard just randomly stopped responding to inputs. Disconnecting and re-attaching didn't help, so Apple just swapped it for a new one without a problem. Hoping this new one doesn't run into the same issue, but so far so good.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Typing this on my Smart Keyboard makes me scared it might fail with my luck 3 years, 1 day after I purchased it.

 

[anwedr]

I've always found the iPad's keyboard scratchy feeling to be like nails on a chalkboard. I just cannot use it, I HATE the feeling of it on my fingers.

Agreed. The scratching of the keyboard irritates me to the point I put on earplugs when I'm typing a paper.

However, the keyboard is excellent on the fingers. Soft and delicate.

 

[Tech198]

Well you'd bloody hope so, with the ridiculous price tag it comes with.

Or am I speaking about all Apple products?

lol... probably a bit of both.

 

[DrumApple]

Agreed. The scratching of the keyboard irritates me to the point I put on earplugs when I'm typing a paper.

However, the keyboard is excellent on the fingers. Soft and delicate.

It's not only the sound for me, it's the feel of the material on my skin. Just one of the quirks I guess.

 

[Gary Ginther]

That product is nasty, and it's a shame Apple's sells it.

[doublepost=1500648880][/doublepost]I loved mine until it quit connecting to my Ipad Pro. My Ipad Pro is now worthless for what I need it for. It should be a simple issue to resolve, but Apple service really sucks. They say they will take care of the problem but all they have wanted is my credit card info. I sent the keyboard to them after a month of fighting to get them to send me a box to do so. They sent it back without touching it. I won't go into all of the details but it has been the worst customer service fiasco I have ever seen. It's been 2 months. They now say again they are sending me a new one. We will see. I have loved all of my Apple products until this event. I will probably stay with them but I will never quit telling everyone who will listen that Apple Customer Service Sucks and they don't even care enough to reach out to me!!!!! Spineless. What the heck, I'm only one customer. They have billions more. Well, except for the thousands of complaints like mine online.

 

[Paradoxxx]

Apple has initiated a new three-year service policy for the Smart Keyboard for both the 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, MacRumors has learned.

Apple has determined that some Smart Keyboards may experience "functional issues" during use, such as the Smart Connector not working or certain keys sticking, repeating, or not responding, according to an internal memo distributed to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers last week.

Apple says it will service any qualifying Smart Keyboard free of charge within three years of the date it was originally purchased.

We recommend affected customers call an Apple Store to schedule a Genius Bar appointment or visit an Apple Authorized Service Provider to initiate the repair process. Affected customers can also contact Apple support by phone, online chat, or email by selecting iPad > iPad Accessories on this page.

Due to the newness of this service policy, some Apple support employees may be unfamiliar with its existence, in which case we recommend escalating your request to a senior AppleCare advisor.

Article Link: Apple Offering Free Smart Keyboard Repairs Under New 3-Year Policy

[doublepost=1501112150][/doublepost]I have the IPad Pro keyboard and started to have issues with it about a month ago. It would work for a while then stop. You had to wiggle it around in the keyboard to get it to work again. I know it was getting a break in the ribbon cable right around the three pins that connect to the ipad. Think it has to do with taking off the cover all the time and then slapping it back on. Thankfully I came across the article about apple covering the keyboard under a three year warranty on this website. I went down today and got mine replaced for free. I only hope they fixed the issue and I won't have this problem anymore. Thanks MacRumors for getting the word out.

 

[kazmac]

Having connectivity issues with mine now. Honestly, I'd rather just get the money back as I rarely use it. I won't buy another one going forward.

 

[Mobster1983]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but has anyone confirmed this policy? I just went to the Apple Store because my 12.9 keyboard won’t connect (says accessory not supported). They said it is out of the one year warranty and I just have to buy a new one. Asked specifically about the 3 year replacement and they said that doesn’t exist.

 

[profets]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but has anyone confirmed this policy? I just went to the Apple Store because my 12.9 keyboard won’t connect (says accessory not supported). They said it is out of the one year warranty and I just have to buy a new one. Asked specifically about the 3 year replacement and they said that doesn’t exist.

Wow, that’s terrible.

Quick google search shows it listed all over the web as a news article in May.

 

[Mobster1983]

Wow, that’s terrible.

Quick google search shows it listed all over the web as a news article in May.

Yea, I even showed them the news articles. The tech said those weren’t official apple sites and her system didn’t show a program. I’ve never had any issues with Apple customer service like this before. Guess I’ll just call in. Annoying.

 

[profets]

Yea, I even showed them the news articles. The tech said those weren’t official apple sites and her system didn’t show a program. I’ve never had any issues with Apple customer service like this before. Guess I’ll just call in. Annoying.

Damn. Well, thanks for sharing anyway. It'll be good to know in case we do need to have one checked.

Funny, I had the keyboard cover for my 9.7 giving a lot of connectivity issues. 2 weeks before the 1 year warranty was up (in March, few months before this supposed program) I brought it in and they gave me a new one. Now the new keyboard is starting to exhibit the same problem.

 

[Brammy]

I would appeal on phone support, or escalate to a manager. I had my ASK replaced out of warranty before the extended service. It took a little convincing, and finally another tech also claimed he had seen the same issue so they replaced it.

A long time ago on an iBook or MacBook I had some battery issue what was covered under an extended warranty. The genuis for some reason thought Coconut Battery’s Report of 84% health was the charge level; not the health and refused to cover it. I called Apple support and they shipped me out a new battery overnight.

 

[Nhott]

This post just saved me the cost of a repair or new keyboard. My warranty expired a little over a month ago. I went to Apple’s support app and the first person told me that she could help me set up a repair and it wouldn’t be covered. I asked her about the 3 year replacement and she didn’t know anything about it. It’s not posted under their official guidelines. I sent her the link to this page and was immediately routed to a senior member who quickly and without hesitation set up a free replacement sight unseen and extended the warranty on the new one an additional 90 days. They are shipping me a new one with a hold on my credit card and when I send mine back they are removing the hold. Couldn’t be happier that I didn’t have to visit the Apple Store since it’s over an hour away.

 

[Apple_Jae]

I can vouch, this is totally a thing. I bought my keyboard in late 2015 and noticed a few months ago that the “option” key on the left side of the keyboard would frequently stop working. I set up a Genius Bar appointment for this afternoon and 30 minutes after my appointment i was on my way home with a brand new 12.9” iPad Pro Smart Keyboard.

People can say what they want but Apple stands behind their products. I only learned about the offer of a 3 year repair while searching for a new keyboard (given that mine was being finicky). I use my keyboard DAILY because I’m a full time student, so I just assumed I wore my keyboard out faster than the average person.

Thank you, Apple!

Apple has initiated a new three-year service policy for the Smart Keyboard for both the 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, MacRumors has learned.

Apple has determined that some Smart Keyboards may experience "functional issues" during use, such as the Smart Connector not working or certain keys sticking, repeating, or not responding, according to an internal memo distributed to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers last week.

Apple says it will service any qualifying Smart Keyboard free of charge within three years of the date it was originally purchased.

We recommend affected customers call an Apple Store to schedule a Genius Bar appointment or visit an Apple Authorized Service Provider to initiate the repair process. Affected customers can also contact Apple support by phone, online chat, or email by selecting iPad > iPad Accessories on this page.

Due to the newness of this service policy, some Apple support employees may be unfamiliar with its existence, in which case we recommend escalating your request to a senior AppleCare advisor.

Article Link: Apple Offering Free Smart Keyboard Repairs Under New 3-Year Policy

 

[hankdu]

Yea, I even showed them the news articles. The tech said those weren’t official apple sites and her system didn’t show a program. I’ve never had any issues with Apple customer service like this before. Guess I’ll just call in. Annoying.

I just came back from regent street Apple store, London with a new replacement after my out of warranty iPad Pro Smart Keyboard started showing issues. The genius appointment lasted 20 minutes. I had to sign something to authorise the work, I saw on the form the Keyboard was replayed under some quality programme thing. So yeh this is definitely a thing.

 

[curtvaughan]

I just came back from regent street Apple store, London with a new replacement after my out of warranty iPad Pro Smart Keyboard started showing issues. The genius appointment lasted 20 minutes. I had to sign something to authorise the work, I saw on the form the Keyboard was replayed under some quality programme thing. So yeh this is definitely a thing.

I see this is a 6 month old post, but I can vouch for the fact that the Smart Keyboard still has issues as of Nov. 22. I bought one with my new iPad Pro 12.9 a few weeks ago that works perfectly, so recommended a similar setup with a friend, who just purchased her iPad Pro 12.9 and Smart Keyboard five days ago. Her keyboard bounced when in typing position, enough to inhibit efficient typing, so we took it back for an exchange this morning. The new one not only bounced, but could not be detected by her iPad at all. I tried my Smart Keyboard with her iPad, and it connected and did not bounce, but certain keys (like an "m") produced bad characters (typing an "m" produced "," comma). When I reconnected my Smart Keyboard to my iPad, it worked flawlessly with no bounce, as it had previously. So, there is an issue not only with her faulty keyboard, but with her iPad not correctly connecting to a good keyboard - these were all identical models of iPad Pro 12.9 and same Smart Keyboards. I did a search on this and came up with this site's link as well as several others. We have set up an appt. with the Apple Store from which she made her purchases for resolution. We'll see. My Pro and keyboard (which work fine) came from a different Apple Store, making me think the one she visited had a slew of bad deliveries of the products.

 

[MrMister111]

Sorry to drag up a old thread but is this still the case and is this applicable to 10.5 ASK as well?

Do the 10.5" ASK have these disconnection and not typing keys problem or am I safe to buy?

Thanks