2019 MacBook Pro battery installation and use issues.

Question

2019 MacBook Pro battery installation and use issues.

Hello. In my 2019 MacBook Pro, the battery was completely depleted and it is having problems with flashing on the Touch Bar. I can deal with the flashing on the Touch Bar but the depleted battery makes the computer nearly unusable as a laptop. I took it to the Apple Store to see what they could do. Unfortunately, they stated that the computer is now old enough that they don’t service them anymore. I decided to go and get a battery myself on Amazon and, with the help of the instructions which came with the battery and a YouTube video, I was able to successfully replace the battery myself. Let me tell you, it’s not easy. Now when I fully charge the computer and use it on battery power, I get about six hours or so of charge out of it. I run it so that the battery indicator is at about 30% and then I shut the computer down completely to leave overnight. When I turn the computer back on, it starts out at 30% but immediately runs down to 1% and alerts me that it requires to be plugged in. In system settings, the battery health states that it’s normal. I’m wondering what is going on here and if there’s anything anybody thinks I could do to improve performance or at least the computer‘s ability to properly read the charge on the battery. Thank you in advance! Googling various issues with Apple products has many times brought me to the Apple discussions which have been helpful over the years.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 15.7

Posted on Dec 22, 2025 5:27 AM

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Answer 1

John Galt

Level 10

155,420 points

Dec 22, 2025 6:04 AM in response to MikeWilliams311

Aftermarket battery quality is generally poor. If Apple can no longer service that Mac it leaves you with only bad options. In such cases OWC / MacSales is the only vendor whose products I can recommend. They will stand behind what they sell.

Return the Amazon product in accordance with their return policies.

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Answer 2

Dec 22, 2025 6:19 AM in response to John Galt

OK. Thank you for the insight. Unfortunately, replacing this battery is such a difficult task with so many screws and the necessity to use alcohol to dissolve the glue enough so that you can scrape the batteries out, I think I will have to just run the wheels off this battery and see where we are at at that point. Thank you for the recommendation on the OWC/Macsales. There were lots of good reviews on Amazon about this one and the price was fairly low so I figured I would roll the dice. I really can't see getting rid of a perfectly good laptop just for battery issues. It would be nice if Apple made laptops with batteries that were more replaceable. I don't need a laptop that's as thin as a razor blade. I need one that's a workhorse and good for long-term use.

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Answer 3

John Galt

Level 10

155,420 points

Dec 22, 2025 7:51 AM in response to MikeWilliams311

I understand. Nothing but bad choices, but what's worse is hearing from people on this site who replaced their Mac batteries with cheap aftermarket ones despite the fact they remained eligible for authorized service. When they discover those batteries are junk, it gets worse when they learn Apple will henceforth refuse to service those Macs due to the unauthorized repair... and they're stuck.

With your Mac (I believe) Apple replaces the entire battery assembly along with its keyboard and trackpad, which is an attractive solution for Macs with keyboard problems (common on that variety — they changed the design in 2019 so yours might not be one of them).

Macs last a long time, and in most cases they don't need their batteries replaced before the owner decides to upgrade. Batteries are wear items though, so if you like squeezing the most life out of a Mac it becomes likely you will want a replacement before permanently retiring the Mac. I have a MacBook Air from 2011 whose battery needed to be replaced by Apple once. Still, Apple put up a bit of a fight because it was still at 80% — not sufficiently aged for them — but I didn't want it to become "vintage" and be faced with those bad choices. It's now at about 72%, but it still lasts most of a day, which is fine with me. One battery replacement over the course of a Mac's economic life is ok.

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Answer 4

Dec 22, 2025 8:01 AM in response to John Galt

Again. Good insights. The Apple Store told me that it would not replace the battery or top case because the model was too old at that point. I did look at taking it to another store that deals with repairing Apple computers but it looked like the bill was going to be in excess of $500 to source the parts and then have it done. So, for me, it was either roll that 500+ dollars into a new machine or roll the dice on a $60 battery from Amazon and trying to do it myself with the full knowledge that I may just destroy my Mac. Surprisingly, despite the ridiculous amount of alcohol I needed to use to get the battery out and how that alcohol got all over the electronics, I still managed to blow it all out, get everything dry, replace the battery. I was very happy when I saw that it was working. At the end of the day, I’m still getting about six hours out of a charge. Included in that six hours is watching a lot of YouTube videos sometimes and things of that nature so, pretty battery intensive stuff and yet I’m still getting six hours out of it. Beats spending 2500+ dollars on a new machine. That’s a big bill that maybe I just held off for another couple of years. I have been googling the problem and there are various things I can try to get a more accurate battery reading from the computer so I might try some stuff like fully charging it and then fully discharging it a couple of times to see if I can make this situation more accurate/better. So the computer works fairly well, better than it was before. And I spent $60, not 500 or 2500.

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Answer 5

John Galt

Level 10

155,420 points

Dec 22, 2025 8:21 AM in response to MikeWilliams311

You should write an Amazon review detailing your actions. It's not a pleasant experience. If people only knew what was involved they might consider other options.

At the end of the day, I’m still getting about six hours out of a charge.

That's the only metric that matters. Apple's battery charging algorithms including its percentage estimates are predicated on genuine Apple batteries incorporating proprietary Apple firmware in conjunction with ever-changing Apple battery management software, so aftermarket batteries will never indicate anything with any degree of accuracy. macOS is considering all the variables, and it just shrugs. 30% probably means nothing. Garbage in garbage out.

If I were you I would not attempt to fix things in the manner googling suggests, which will only degrade the battery's actual capacity and accelerate its demise. Just use it. I'm sure it will be fine.

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Answer 6

Dec 22, 2025 9:19 AM in response to MikeWilliams311

<< I run it so that the battery indicator is at about 30% and then I shut the computer down completely to leave overnight. When I turn the computer back on, it starts out at 30% but immediately runs down to 1% and alerts me that it requires to be plugged in. >>

That computer is a battery-CAPABLE device, It is not optimized as a battery-operated device (it is not an iPhone.)

Your computer performs best when connected to AC power, such as the power adapter. It can use the full output of the Power Adapter AND when doing especially challenging work could also freely "borrow" power from the battery. In some cases, even with the power adapter connected, the charged state may decline during very stressful work.

When used only on battery, your computer has no extra cushion of power, and may perform more slowly. However, for ordinary non-stressful tasks this may not be objectionable (possibly not even noticeable.)

In general, you should ALWAYS connect a power source when it is possible to do so, and only run on batteries (which could be somewhat slower) when no power sources are at hand. Modern Macs maintain optimum battery charge levels under program control, and will NEVER over-charge. Connected to Power is NOT necessarily charging.

When you set it down in one place, or set it down for the night, Plug it in. Then you won’t CARE whether it would drain the battery.

Activate Battery Health Management and do not spend another moment of your time thinking about charging.

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