New information :
(See my previous post from some hours ago)
Had the same issue : battery won't charge, 1%, status : get battery serviced. When I unplug MBP instantly shut down.
Tried SMC and NVRAM. Didn't work.
Well, turns out now ... it seems I have solved it ! (for me at least)
Basically from what I understand, firmware updates are linked to macOS installers (don't quote me on this, but that's how I understood it)
So my plan : Clean install from the earliest macOS version supported (in my case : Sierra), then upgrade (not clean install) one version after another until I reach Big Sur, using downloads from the App Store (Use this link : https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683)
What happened.
Sierra Clean Install (from bootable disk created with CreateInstallMedia command from Terminal) : In the installer, lots of shenanigans in Disk utility and terminal to revert from the multiple volume APFS drive to HFS+ one (Sierra was the last non-APFS mac OS). Eventually I had what really seemed like a simple HFS+ Macintosh HD on my internal SSD. Then installed Sierra.
Partial success, same exact symptoms : Battery won't charge, Instantly shutdown when unplugged from charge. Difference : 100% charge shown instead of 1%. However still unable to charge battery and still showed as "needing service".
2. Update to High Sierra (using this : https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683).
SUCCESS ! Battery condition normal, 100% charge, can run on battery without problem, can reboot on battery, no issue. Like nothing happened. Somehow in the High Sierra Upgrade it did something to the firmware. Now the MacBook Pro is able to use battery as it is supposed to.
Right now I'm moving further, one version after another to get to Big Sur.
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IMPORTANT NOTES : This is what worked for me, but I took many risk playing with drives in Disk Utility. DO NOT TAKE THIS AS A TUTORIAL.
But, I think the basic strategy of going back the version of macOS that shipped with your Mac and moving forward one OS update after another is a good and safe strategy. It worked for me apparently.
Also, one very important thing about this : THIS WAS A SOFTWARE ISSUE. My battery didn't need replacement, it wasn't hardware. Even if my method don't solve your issue, at least it's a sign that Apple should be aware of this problem and work on a way to solve it via software.
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Core OS
Tags: