Apple finally starts paying off qualifying MacBook owners as part of a class action settlement

Two years after settling a class action lawsuit over faulty MacBook keyboards, Apple is finally sending payouts to qualifying individuals. The latest update to the MacBook Keyboard Litigation Settlement website says that payments would be issued for approved claims by August 2024. Based on a report from 9to5Mac and other sites, some people have already received checks for as much as $395.

To cash in on the settlement, you must have purchased a MacBook with a butterfly keyboard between 2015 and 2019. You also must have gotten keyboard repairs or service for your system.

If you had at least two topcase replacements within four years of purchase, you could get up to $395. If you had just one topcase replacement, you may be due as much as $125. A topcase consists mainly of the battery, keyboard, and a few smaller components. If you only ordered keycap replacements, your payout would be no more than $50.

Also: Sorry, Apple: This Logitech keyboard is my new go-to for the Mac

Whatever types of repairs you received, you must have already filed a claim by now, as the deadlines all passed on March 6. In the claim, you would’ve had to assert that the repairs didn’t fix the keyboard issues. If you did file a claim, then there’s nothing more you need to do. Apple will notify you via email when your check or electronic payment has been sent.

The entire process has dragged on for quite a while. Although Apple settled the case in July 2022, the court didn’t approve Apple’s settlement until May 2023 and took until June 27, 2024, to issue the payment order.

The class action lawsuit stems from Apple’s decision to switch its MacBooks from a scissor-style keyboard to a butterfly design with less key travel. The goal was to make the keyboards thinner and the laptops slimmer.  

This move backfired spectacularly as many MacBook owners started complaining that the keys would easily stick or get jammed by dust, crumbs, or other tiny objects. Noted tech blogger John Gruber even called the new keyboards “the worst products in Apple’s history.”

The lawsuit alleged that the butterfly keyboards used in the MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro were flawed and defective, creating challenges for consumers unlucky enough to have bought one. In settling the lawsuit, Apple didn’t admit any wrongdoing, denied all the allegations in the lawsuit, and maintained that the MacBooks were not defective. Despite its denials, the company switched its MacBooks back to the standard scissor-style keyboard in 2019.