Apple settles US butterfly keyboard lawsuit for $50 million (2024)

Apple has agreed to pay $50 million (£41.6 million) to settle a lawsuit from plaintiffs in the US over its MacBook keyboards.

Customers in seven states alleged that the tech giant sold the "butterfly keyboards" on MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops from 2015 to 2019, knowing they had unresponsive and sticky keys that could be damaged by dust or dirt.

Apple did not immediately respond to a BBC News request for comment.

But the company denies all allegations.

Under the settlement, customers can receive up to the following:

The provisional agreement must still be approved by a judge.

On a typical keyboard, the keys are attached using two pieces of plastic that cross each other and close like scissors when pressed.

The butterfly keyboard keys used a wing-like hinge instead.

At the time,said Applethis mechanism was 40% thinner, allowing the laptops to become slimmer.

After numerous complaints, it launched a repair and replacement program in 2018 that covered the keyboards for four years after purchase.

But customers said the replacements often had the same problems.

Apple completely phased out the butterfly keyboard in 2020: the keyboards now use scissor switches by default.

The company continues to face several other legal complaints, including lawsuits alleging: