Get an extra year of repair for your older MacBook screen

Apple is extending the right to free repairs for several older MacBook models that have known screen issues.

First, Apple expanded the 13-inch MacBook Pro.s Backlight Service Program by a year. The program offers free repairs for select MacBook Pros of 2016, 2017 and 2018 with faulty backlight. The program launched in May 2019 and Apple has expanded the window for free repairs to five years since the first retail sale. or three years since the recovery program began – whichever is longer. That means customers now have until at least May 2022 to replace their older MacBook Pro backlight.

The other extension is the anti-reflective coating repair feature for 12-inch MacBooks and MacBook Pros with Retina displays (12-inch variants released in 2016 and 2017). This edition has been around for almost nine years, but Apple started offering free repairs for affected customers as early as 2015, after which the coverage expanded in 2017. Apple plans to continue offering free repairs to US customers according to a internal memo obtained and verified by MacRumors, but the expansion is not publicly announced.

If your older 13-inch MacBook Pro backlight malfunctions, or if your 12-inch MacBook or MacBook Pro’s anti-reflective layer is damaged, you can file a claim through Apple’s Support Web site to begin the repair process. From there, you can take the broken MacBook to your local Apple store or authorized service provider, or send it to Apple.

Note that all 12-inch MacBooks and MacBook Pros must be emailed to Apple’s Support Center, even if you take them personally to a store, so repairing these models will take longer. MacRumors estimates that it may take up to a week to get your MacBook back after you submit it.

You can also reimburse the cost of repairs if you have already paid to fix one of these issues. To be eligible, your MacBook must be eligible for the appropriate repair program and you will need a receipt for the repair.