"Service Battery" Warning

[Itzzdannyboy]

Today when I clicked on the battery icon on the finder bar, I found a "Service Battery" notification. I have never seen such notification before But Yesterday i applied a Skin to my macbook pro where i used a hairdryer to apply, which must of been very hot, could this be of any significance. If the battery is in danger can i continue to use it? And how long can I use until it dies? And if i continue to use it until it dies can that cause damage to my MacBook Pro? Thanks in advanced

 

[840quadra]

It is a fairly accurate (IMO) indication of overall battery health. In my case, not long after I received the warning on my MacBook pro, the cell started to swell making it hard to open my battery door.

If yours seems like it is working okay, you should be fine to use it a bit longer, just be sure to inspect it more often.

This is all assuming you have a battery door and removable battery.

 

[leman]

A battery that is pushed beyond its limits can swell, which might damage your computer. So it is a good idea to service it fairly soon.

That said, I'm being a bit hypocritical here as my battery warning first popped up around 5 month and I am still using the machine. Battery life is between 5 and 6 hours. No negative effects observed so far.

 

[b0fh666]

cycle the battery (discharge it fully then recharge) and see if it goes away.

 

[GGJstudios]

Today when I clicked on the battery icon on the finder bar, I found a "Service Battery" notification. If the battery is in danger can i continue to use it? And how long can I use until it dies? And if i continue to use it until it dies can that cause damage to my MacBook Pro? Thanks in advanced

The warning could be an indication of a problem with your battery, but more commonly, it simply indicates that your battery health has dropped below 80%. If that is the case, you can continue to use your battery as long as it holds sufficient charge to meet your needs, and as long as it doesn't show signs of swelling, which some batteries do near the end of life. If it does show signs of swelling, have it replaced immediately, before it can damage components of your Mac.

The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions, including tips for maximizing battery performance. If you haven’t already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​

cycle the battery (discharge it fully then recharge) and see if it goes away.

You never need to fully discharge a battery, and it's not good for it to do so.