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I’m borrowing a laptop from a friend who described the condition of the laptop as ‘battery doesn’t really hold a charge’ and ‘speakers are kind of broken’. I opened it up earlier today just to take a look and I noticed that a. the clips holding the bottom cover in didn’t seem to be clipped in place and b. the battery looked very slightly swollen. macOS shows a message in the battery menu saying service is recommended, but the support article says it’s still safe to use (no mention of a swollen battery there). If the battery is just ever so slightly swollen, is it still safe to use or should I talk to my friend (who I borrowed the laptop from) about getting a battery replacement?
Hi Turphin, Yes, you should definitely talk to your friend. Swollen batteries are bad news; the swelling is caused by a build-up of gasses as the battery degrades and in the worst case can cause the battery to explode. I mean that literally; ask the people who owned a Galaxy Note 7. iFixit has a Wiki article on the subject you should definitely check out. What to do with a swollen battery - iFixit The batteries aren’t cheap, but the price is a lot less than having to replace your whole laptop. For an extra $10 USD you can get the Fix Kit that includes all the tools needed to do the job. A1618 Battery for MacBook Pro 15" Retina A1398 (Mid 2015) And of course your friend can save significantly on the cost by doing the replacement themselves. MacBook Pro 15" Retina Display Mid 2015 Battery Replacement - iFixit Repair Guide So yeah, I’d suggest your friend get that battery replaced as soon as possible. Good luck; let us know how it goes!
