Apple announces repair program for MacBook Pro ‘flexgate’ issue

Earlier this year, we began hearing about ‘flexgate', an issue with some of Apple's 2016 to 2017 MacBook Pros. The issue sees display backlighting damaged over time, causing a dark spots to appear along the bottom of the screen. As usual, Apple stayed relatively quiet on the issue for months, but now, the company has announced a free repair program for those affected.

This week, Apple announced that it will offer free repairs to customers who purchased a 13″ 2016 MacBook Pro that has developed backlighting issues. The problem is caused by the cable that connects the base of the laptop to the display. Over time, this cable can be stretched by opening and closing the laptop, causing uneven backlighting. Eventually, this could lead to the display turning off entirely, so it is an important problem for Apple to fix.

With the 2018 MacBook Pro refresh, Apple made some design changes to ensure that this problem doesn't occur again. Those who brought an earlier MacBook Pro now have a way to get it fixed without paying Apple's lofty repair prices.

Beyond ‘flexgate', Apple has also made changes to its repair program for MacBook Pros with keyboard issues. The butterfly keys have faced issued for a long time now, with tiny bits of dust collecting and causing keys to stick, or become unresponsive. A wider range of MacBook Pro models are now eligible for free repair based on this issue.

KitGuru Says: Apple does need to do a better job of owning up to its mistakes and offering repair programs at a faster rate. Hopefully future MacBook Pro redesigns won't face this many issues but between the keyboard and display problems, it has been a rough few years for Apple's laptop customers. 

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