The European Parliament has this week voted overwhelmingly in favor of new legislation that would ultimately necessitate all mobile phones sold in the EU to use a USB-C port for wired charging. The proposed rules, which lawmakers reached an initial agreement on back in June, mean that Apple is likely to have to remove the decade-old Lightning connector from its phones and switch to USB-C if it wants to continue selling them in one of its most lucrative global markets, else it could opt for wireless technology.
The EU’s aim is to reduce e-waste. If more devices are interoperable with the same cables, then the EU thinks fewer electronic devices and chargers will get thrown away. According to its estimates, every year, 11,000 tonnes of disposed of and unused chargers end up in landfill, which it hopes these rules will reduce. It also wants to save consumers money by allowing them to reuse chargers (up to €250 million, according to its estimates) and reduce the lock-in effect of proprietary.
But how soon will Apple be forced to make the switch?
The EU’s new rules — which are technically an amendment to its Radio Equipment Directive — are yet to be formally approved. Although they’ve been given the thumbs up by the bloc’s Parliament, the common charger legislation still needs to be signed off by the European Council and published in the EU Official Journal. It would then enter into force 20 days later.
But even once that happens, companies like Apple will still effectively have a two-year grace period that’s designed to ease the transition to a USB-C future. According to the European Parliament’s press release, this means the rules are likely to come into force by the end of 2024. They’ll apply across the industry, regardless of manufacturer. But, as the only major smartphone maker yet to make the switch to USB-C (since 2012, every single iPhone has used a Lightning connector), Apple is the company that’s likely to see the biggest impact.
Apple releases a new flagship smartphone like clockwork in the latter half of every year, so it’s safe to assume that we’ll see a new iPhone (likely to be called the iPhone 16) released around the same time as the rules come into effect in late 2024. But given iPhones are typically launched in September and the EU’s legislation won’t come into effect for 24 months after it’s formally approved by the European Council, the iPhone 16 could end up being launched just before the new rules come into effect. That would make 2025’s iPhone 17 (if Apple continues with its current naming convention) the first model forced to use USB-C for wired charging.
Beyond smartphones, the rules will apply to all manner of electronic devices, including tablets, headphones, keyboards, and mice, which means Apple will also need to start offering everything from AirPods to the Magic Mouse with a USB-C port for wired charging. Laptops are also covered by the legislation but have been given a slightly longer implementation period, which means they won’t have to use USB-C for wired charging until early 2026. The EU’s rules also note that small devices like smartwatches or health trackers are exempt “when the small size of the product does not allow [them] to be equipped with [a] USB Type-C receptacle.”
