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I handed my MacBook Pro (15" Touch bar) to the service centre in order to have the keyboard replaced. Now, when I check the battery cycle count, it shows "1". Before it was at "82".

Also, I'm getting a battery life of only 4.5 - 5 hours now.

Is there a way to find if my battery was replaced or not?

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    This question doesn't make much sense... "I doubt that", do you mean "I think that". A battery does not "get[] a backup". Do you mean it only lasts that long? Lastly, if your battery were stolen, it wouldn't be there and you'd get zero hours. – T.J.L. May 25 '18 at 13:25
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    Sometimes issues with the keyboard or trackpad can be the result of a faulty battery pressing up against the keyboard or trackpad. It's possible this was the issue with your MacBook and they had to replace the battery. – Devin B May 25 '18 at 14:59
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    Before complaining, you should give the battery several full cycles to recalibrate the gauge. Run it until it shuts down, then charge to 100%. Brand new batteries, and those that have been sitting on the shelves for a while need this too for maximum capacity. – user71659 May 25 '18 at 19:26
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    This is an interesting question, but you say that your battery now only lasts 4-4.5 hours, but how long did it last before? It would be worth editing your question to include that information, so that a useful comparison can be made. – Greenonline May 26 '18 at 14:15
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    @T.J.L.: In India, doubt has taken on a second meaning as question. "Mr. Teacher, I have a doubt. Why is...?" The title was likely a further mis-use of the word. – user286843 May 26 '18 at 20:15
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I gave my MacBook Pro (15" Touchbar one) to the service centre for replacing the keyboard...

This is the key element to your answering your question.

When you need to have your keyboard replaced, they don't replace the keyboard; it's too time consuming and labor intensive (and somewhat dangerous due to the battery). They replace the entire top case assembly.

The top case is an assembly of the following (major) components/sub assemblies:

  • Aluminum case housing
  • Keyboard
  • Track pad
  • Battery pack

The battery pack is glued in place and Apple advises service centers to not attempt removal; so they don't. They just replace the entire thing.

If you took your MacBook to an authorized service center, everything will be genuine Apple parts.

Regarding the lower run times...

You may have received something called NOS (New Old Stock) meaning the top case may be new, but it's been sitting on a shelf for a couple of years. The battery, though unused, is still degrading even though it's sitting on a shelf somewhere. Return it to your service center and make them aware of the issue.

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  • Maybe it's changed since then, but I had a failing battery in a 2011 MacBook Pro, and it was a separately replaceable part. I was even able to run with no battery for a few days while waiting for the replacement to be delivered to the service center. – Barmar May 25 '18 at 16:54
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    @Barmar a 2011 MBP is completely different build than a 2015 and newer MBP build. It's most definitely changed and so has the repair procedures. – Allan May 25 '18 at 17:01
  • I doubt they have any two+ year old top cases from touch bar MacBook Pros sitting around – dwightk May 25 '18 at 18:24
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    @Allan considering that the MBP with touchbar was only released in November 2016, we can be very confident there are no 2 year old parts lying around! – Tim May 25 '18 at 21:32
  • @Tim, you're confident that the production run for the MBP with touchbar started sometime after May 2016? – Mark May 25 '18 at 23:38
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Actually if your cycle count shows 1 that means they replaced the battery. Stolen implies that you no longer have a battery in your Mac. And if by "backup" you mean that you are getting 4 1/2 - 5 hours usage out of the Mac on just the battery then that is an acceptable run time depending on what you are doing on the Mac.

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    Hey @Steve Chambers, Thanks for the quick response, but I'm wondering how can they replace my battery without even asking me, and like I have mentioned in my description, I gave my laptop to replace the keyboard not the battery, regarding backup, I was getting a minimum of 8.5 hours since this is the 15" touchbar version(apple claims a backup of 10 hrs for this model), so please help me if there is a way to check the battery is replaced or not. Thanks once again. – Arun May 25 '18 at 12:30
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    They can replace your battery because you gave them permission when you signed the repair slip. Any in warranty repair for Apple includes every part of the machine if the technicians reviewing the machine determine the part needs to be replaced. Your repair paperwork that you should have gotten a copy of after picking up your computer should have a list of all the parts they replaced. If you don't have that paperwork, you're going to have to call Apple. – moneyt May 25 '18 at 12:35
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    Its actually due to design. According to AppleInsider and several other spots, They have to replace the entire upper case which includes the battery. appleinsider.com/articles/18/05/23/… – user4665 May 25 '18 at 13:29
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    @Arun - Just FYI, that's not what "backup" means. "Battery life," "use" (e.g., between charges), "uptime" (sort of), but not "backup." As for the issue: Just take it back to them and tell them you used to get 8.5, now you're getting 4.5 - 5. – T.J. Crowder May 25 '18 at 15:46
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    @Arun To backup means to make a copy of your data on a different medium. Backup simply means "a copy of some data". You should edit your question and replace "backup" with something like "battery duration". – Bakuriu May 25 '18 at 19:02
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You can get some more detailed information on the battery, including serial number, manufacturer, and most importantly in this situation, the DATE of manufacture. The best way I've found to do so is to use an application called Coconut Battery (no affiliation, just a very happy user), which can also help track the battery's health over time, as well as the same information for your iOS devices.

Using Coconut Battery, you can see if the battery's manufacture is after you purchased your MBP, or lines up closely with the manufacture date of your MBP itself.

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