USB-C to be mandatory for phones sold in the EU by autumn 2024
The EU have agreed legislation, alternate link, forcing all future smartphones sold in the EU — including Apple's iPhone — be equipped with USB-C port for wired charging by autumn 2024. The rule will also apply to other electronic devices including tablets, digital cameras, headphones, handheld video game consoles, and e-readers. Laptops will have to comply with the rule at a later date.
The legislation still needs to be approved by the EU Parliament and Council later this year, but this appears to be a formality. In a press release, the European Parliament stated clearly that the law will be in place "by autumn 2024." By this date, all devices covered by the law and sold in the EU will have to use USB-C for wired charging.
EU Agrees Single Mobile Charging Port in Blow to Apple
EU agrees single mobile charging port in blow to Apple:
Apple (AAPL.O) will have to change the connector on iPhones sold in Europe by 2024 after EU countries and lawmakers agreed on Tuesday to a single mobile charging port for mobile phones, tablets and cameras in a world first.
The political intervention, which the European Commission said would make life easier for consumers and save them money, came after companies failed to reach a common solution.
Brussels has been pushing for a single mobile charging port for more than a decade, prompted by complaints from iPhone and Android users about having to switch to different chargers for their devices.
iPhones are charged from a Lightning cable, while Android-based devices use USB-C connectors.
Half the chargers sold with mobile phones in 2018 had a USB micro-B connector, while 29% had a USB-C connector and 21% a Lightning connector, according to a 2019 Commission study.
"By autumn 2024, USB Type-C will become the common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the EU," the European Parliament said in a statement.
EU industry chief Thierry Breton said the deal would save around 250 million euros ($267 million) for consumers.
"It will also allow new technologies such as wireless charging to emerge and to mature without letting innovation become a source of market fragmentation and consumer inconvenience," he said.
Related Stories
BBC: UK will not copy EU demand for common charging cable
The UK government says it is not "currently considering" copying European Union plans for a common charging cable.
The EU has provisionally agreed all new portable electronic devices must, by autumn 2024, use a USB Type-C charger, a move it says will benefit consumers.
[....] Under the current post-Brexit arrangements, the regulation would apply to Northern Ireland, according to EU and UK officials.
[....] Since the EU's announcement, it had been uncertain if the decision could affect Apple products sold in the UK and other non-EU countries in Europe.
But a UK government spokesperson has told MailOnline: 'We are not currently considering replicating this requirement.'
[....] This complicates things for Apple; the firm might have to make devices with USB-C ports to sell in EU countries and Northern Ireland, as well as making devices with a Lightning ports to sell in the UK and other non-EU countries.
To simplify things, Apple could just opt to make devices with USB-C ports in the whole of Europe.
Apple to put USB-C connectors in iPhones to comply with EU rules
Apple will ditch the Lightning connector on its iPhones, the company has confirmed, after European regulators decided all smartphones should have USB charging as standard in two years' time.
New EU rules require all phones sold after autumn 2024 to use the USB-C connector for their charging ports. The oval-shaped plugs are already standard on other consumer electronics such as e-readers, games consoles, laptops and the vast majority of new Android phones.
[...] Now, Apple's head of marketing, Greg "Joz" Joswiak, says the company is conceding defeat. "Obviously we'll have to comply, we have no choice," he told a technology conference in California.
But, he argued, it "would have been better environmentally and better for our customers to not have a government be that prescriptive".
Related:
UK Will Not Copy EU Demand for Common Charging Cable
USB-C to be Mandatory for Phones Sold in the EU by Autumn 2024
Apple May Finally Fix its Flimsy iPhone Charger Cables
India follows EU's example in requiring USB-C charging for smart devices
India is on a path to require USB-C charging ports in almost all smart devices following actions taken by an inter-ministerial task force.
Rohit Kumar Sing, Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, said the move is "in the interest of consumer welfare and prevention of avoidable e-waste."
The broad consensus in the meeting was that USB-C would be required for electronic devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops – but "feature phones" could end up with a different charging option. A sub-committee was formed to determine the fate of wearable devices.
But things won't change overnight. The move toward USB-C will be done in phases to ensure industry and consumers alike have time to adapt.
Previously: USB-C to be Mandatory for Phones Sold in the EU by Autumn 2024
UK Will Not Copy EU Demand for Common Charging Cable
Apple to Put USB-C Connectors in iPhones to Comply With EU Rules
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @05:02AM (3 children)
No more 'does anyone in the office have an iPhone charger'?
Revenues at the Apple Store will be down if they can't sell you an iPhone-exclusive dongle. Now they'll be selling you a Lightning-to-USBC adapter for all your legacy...
(Score: 4, Insightful) by janrinok on Wednesday June 08 2022, @05:29AM (2 children)
This raises another interesting question. Will Apple simply continue with their Lightning connector but include the Lightning-to-USBC adaptor for free in Europe, or will they actually redesign future 'phones to simply accept USBC? It would depend, I suppose on how the law is written - it might simply stipulate that it must 'accept' a standard USBC charger or, alternatively, expressly say that the USBC connector must be integral to the device itself.
The former would allow Apple to continue to enforce sales of their own charger outside of Europe, whereas the latter would make things significantly easier for the users who wouldn't have to worry about a special converter cable. I suspect the former as Apple is more interested in profit rather than user convenience which, as a business, is what they obligated to do.
Perhaps the cry in the future will change to 'does anyone in the office have a IPhone converter cable?'.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Wednesday June 08 2022, @05:34AM
Yes, I've read TFA. I know that Apple are working on a phone with a USBC connector, but that doesn't mean that they might not seek an alternative solution to this law if it will help their long-term profits.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday June 08 2022, @04:18PM
That is a business decision they choose to make, not one they are obligated to make.
All they have to do is tell their shareholders that quality is more important than lock-in and presto-changeo, they are no longer obligated to pursue lock in. That applies to literally any decision they make, including putting profit over literally everything else (which no company is dumb enough to promise in the first place).
(Score: 4, Funny) by coolgopher on Wednesday June 08 2022, @05:26AM (3 children)
While I won't be sad to see lightning go, you're not going to get me away from my magsafe!
(Score: 2) by Ken_g6 on Wednesday June 08 2022, @05:32AM (2 children)
There are plenty of magnetic detachable USB-C cables out there. The point is that a cable can connect any USB-C charger to any phone. They don't care what's in the middle
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @06:12AM (1 child)
I have 2 styles, the problem is that there isn't a set standard of connector, so, you may not be able to get additional ones later if you need more.
(Score: 2) by coolgopher on Thursday June 09 2022, @03:28AM
Indeed, and finding non-Apple mag adapters that can handle the higher juice of a charging laptop isn't entirely easy.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Ken_g6 on Wednesday June 08 2022, @05:44AM (1 child)
Including cars!
ICE car + USB-C charger = built in trickle charger.
Hybrid vehicle + USB-C charger = (very mild) plug-in hybrid. (It might get a couple extra miles of range gas-free for an overnight charge.)
Electric vehicle + USB-C charger = convenient place to plug in a solar panel. Solar windshield shades could become all the rage!
(Score: 2) by fraxinus-tree on Wednesday June 08 2022, @12:37PM
While this is intended as a joke, there is nothing wrong with forcing the same _protocol_ over different ranges of power transfer. Allowing standardized data along with the power is another good thing.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by canopic jug on Wednesday June 08 2022, @05:51AM (4 children)
USB-C is apparently a suite of different styles of cables with different capabilities. Furthermore, the high voltage and current they can carry means that knockoff cables bring a very high risk of completely destroying whatever they are plugged into.
At least USB-A in all its forms was limited to 5V. As the last link there shows, it is not a cable as most think of one, but instead it is a full computer shaped like a cable and thus capable of being used against the integrity of the system which it is attached to and usually with direct memory access. The right sentiment is behind the legislation but industry lacking a suitable specification or standard to use.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @07:29AM
Those aren't really new concerns. The last one was not only possible with other cables, but were also commercially available if you knew where to look. Neither is USB devices failing for various problems on their input and output protection or bad pin values, with either resulting in roasted devices/cables.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @08:39AM (1 child)
From your link
From you
Both are false. Devices that assume things and are not compatible with USB-C except for a plug, yes, maybe they will be broken, but that's what you get when you cut on design. And this cable thing is from 2015
https://forums.oneplus.com/threads/in-response-to-the-type-c-cable-discussions.412344/ [oneplus.com]
Regarding voltages,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quick_Charge [wikipedia.org]
So, this is already almost 10 years old. And it does a lot more than 5V. I've used it on a Motorola phone back in 2016. The phone would request 9V charging and charger delivered. That was all over plain USB-A to micro-USB cable.
USB-C just standardizes what was a bunch of proprietary standards already in play for many, many years.
The bottom line is, this directive is to mandate that one type of plug to be used. Like before there was a mandate to use micro-USB for charging. Why? Because we don't need 50 different charging plugs. Even better, phones don't even come with chargers anymore because almost everyone already has a few at home. That's a big plus and that's the point -- less garbage and waste.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @09:50AM
To further your point, USB-PD definitely existed before USB-C and isn't proprietary. That common USB cable could already deliver 100 watts (5 amps at 20 volts) before USB-C and its accompanying PD versions. USB-C may have raised the maximum to 240 watts, but SPR could still do some serious damage. And the later revisions and versions are even safer, theoretically, since they require active negotiation and actual protection on both devices to meet spec instead of using passives and trusting the compliance of strangers.
(Score: 2) by darkfeline on Thursday June 09 2022, @01:30AM
USB C is a physical connector. There is only one. There is nothing preventing you from sending too much power over any connector (e.g., you could send 240V to a 120V standard US power connector). You should avoid plugging any questionable items into any electrical connection on your device, whether that be USB C, USB B, RJ45, Smartcard, etc.
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(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @06:44AM (4 children)
If I have an Apple phone, I buy an Apple charger or else I buy a USB-A to Lightning cable and use any USB-A charger.
This is a complete non-issue.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by maxwell demon on Wednesday June 08 2022, @08:11AM (2 children)
This is not the issue that the EU is trying to solve.
Recently I forgot my Laptop charger. It's one of those power bricks with round connector. Each brand has their own specifications, so to get a replacement, I would have had to get exactly the right power brick. I decided to just limit my laptop use for that week, taking advantage of the laptop being fully charged before departure. With the new EU standard, new laptops will come with USB-C power. If that had been the case already with my laptop, I could have bought any USB-C charger in the next electronics shop. Or simply used my phone charger on the laptop.
Which is a second problem that the EU regulation solves: Having separate chargers for all your devices. And after your device is end-of-life, the next device might need another charger, and your current charger becomes useless.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @12:10PM (1 child)
The problem this EU regulation is addressing is that Apple lobbyists didn't cough up enough campaign contributions to EU legislators.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 10 2022, @04:07PM
I mean, it seems they didn't, but honestly, I don't want diversity of charging port.
At this stage, I get a bit angry any time something isn't just USB-C because I have a charging station with USB-C cables just sitting there, ready to charge anything that is, and if something is different, then I have to make an exception for it.
I paid an extra $10 for the USB-C version of the headphones I have on my head right now, specifically to avoid this problem (that and the problem that USB-B isn't symmetrical).
I remember how nice it was when the EU mandated micro USB-B and I could reduce my charging systems to just one, and I wasn't even in the EU. So I look forward to this.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday June 08 2022, @02:59PM
How many remember twenty years ago when every mobile phone had a different charge connector? Even different models within a single manufacturer.
Expensive to replace, you hoped you never lost one.
When packing for a trip, be sure you pack every single last charger you are going to need! Hope that you arrive back home with every single charger.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 3, Touché) by venn on Wednesday June 08 2022, @07:12AM (3 children)
Apple will still find a way to insure you retain that Apple experience, when if the integrate a universal port. Here's how it'll work:
* Connect your iPhone to USB charger
* iPhone asks charger for a secret apple code
* Charger responds.
Now comes the fun part. Your phone must be on and must have internet access, so the iPhone can verify the chargers secret code. No access? No charging for you. A non-apple charger? No charging for you. Your iPhone ran out of power and won't turn on to connect to a network? Oh oh, time to take it to an apple authorised repair centre (ATMs now in store).
(Score: 4, Funny) by maxwell demon on Wednesday June 08 2022, @07:58AM (1 child)
I don't think that would comply with EU law. But Apple might go for something like this:
In case the flag is inappropriately set as non-EU for EU sales, claim that is is a defect and “repair” it by setting the secret flag. For high cost, of course, if no longer under warranty. Oh, and don't forget to point out the “workaround” of using Lightning, which “is far more reliable”.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by AnonTechie on Wednesday June 08 2022, @12:59PM
Don't give them ideas. There may be someone from Apple, lurking here !!
Albert Einstein - "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by fraxinus-tree on Wednesday June 08 2022, @02:01PM
The EU idea is loud and clear - USB-C connector - AND - USB-PD protocol. Proprietary protocols can be supported, but USB-C/USB-PD should deliver the maximum possible performance, no IFs and no BUTs.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by inertnet on Wednesday June 08 2022, @08:14AM (6 children)
My laptop power supply is 180 Watts, almost double the USB-C maximum.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Wodan on Wednesday June 08 2022, @08:23AM (4 children)
USB-C maximum is 240 Watts, so you'll be fine
(Score: 3, Informative) by inertnet on Wednesday June 08 2022, @09:39AM (3 children)
I see, spec says 5A at 48V. I wonder how long that will work reliably.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @04:29PM (2 children)
As long as your current 180w power supply
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday June 08 2022, @06:01PM (1 child)
I would hope these devices get LESS wattage hungry over time!
(Score: 2) by inertnet on Wednesday June 08 2022, @09:31PM
It's not a gaming laptop but a workstation laptop with an i7-9750H that's rated at 45W. I really don't know why it would need this heavy charger, but apparently it does. I'm sure newer models will be just as power hungry, because they'll add more cores and higher performing graphics cards, like they've always been doing.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday June 08 2022, @03:05PM
One of the really good things about the USB-C charging is that you can use a laptop charger on a phone and a phone charger on a laptop.
The laptop will alert you that it is charging slowly from a phone charger.
The phone will happily charge from the laptop charger.
All you need to pack is a laptop charger or two so you make sure you are covered. Especially if multiple devices can be charged from a smaller number of chargers that you need to pack.
Twenty years ago, if you packed six different devices, you needed to pack six different chargers. They were expensive. And you hoped you didn't forget to pack one. You hoped you didn't leave it in a hotel room somewhere. Not to mention the extra luggage bulk of all these chargers.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by MIRV888 on Wednesday June 08 2022, @10:46AM
Not having to fool with aligning the mini / micro cable is a huge plus for me.
I've had zero issues with my USB-C devices, on any charger.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by cykros on Wednesday June 08 2022, @11:45AM (9 children)
This is the sort of law that doesn't sound bad until you recognize that as improvements are made to technology it will likely stand in the way of progress. Seatbelt technology has come a long way since the 60's as anyone who's seen a NASCAR vehicle knows, but consumer vehicles are prohibited from using these improvements because of regulatory standardization. It COULD get handled reasonably with a sufficiently flexible standards body given oversight and regular reconsideration of new tech, but given that it's government and specifically the EU I'm not holding my breath.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by janrinok on Wednesday June 08 2022, @01:28PM (3 children)
So are you suggesting that we should never make regulations because something better might eventually come along? That is exactly what we have had and the amount of waste and surplus charging devices that are around is a real problem now.
If something comes along later the law can always have an amendment written once the new standard has proven its worth. So you don't change the regulation every six months just because a manufacturer has thought of another 'standard' but if something better is found then you can start a gradual change to the better connector over a period of time.
I cannot see a reason why the same sort of idea could be used in your seatbelt example. If there is a cost-effective and proven improvement that is acceptable to the public (I don't want to be strapped in with a 4 or 5 point harness system if the existing seat belt and airbag provides adequate protection for me) then I cannot see why the law cannot be changed to allow both types to be acceptable for a period of time before phasing out the existing requirement completely. That it hasn't be done is a failure of law makers, and not an excuse to not make any regulations at all.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday June 08 2022, @05:38PM (2 children)
Actually, that does sound like a good reason to keep the EU out of this. It shouldn't be the EU's job to meddle with electronics and the like. Getting in the way of good technologies is a big reason why.
(Score: 3, Touché) by janrinok on Wednesday June 08 2022, @05:54PM (1 child)
Your 'meddling with electronics' is our saving waste and the expense of multiple chargers. It makes good sense to me.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday June 10 2022, @12:11PM
(Score: 4, Insightful) by DannyB on Wednesday June 08 2022, @03:06PM
This sort of regulation was only necessary because "the industry" could not come together on a standard. (yes, I'm looking at you Apple.)
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @03:08PM (1 child)
Imagine a world where there wasn't seatbelt regulations? Do you think everybody would have seen those cool seatbelts in NASCAR and said "I want to wear one!" I seriously doubt it. (Do you remember how much pushback there was against seatbelts? There was a surge of buying shirts with diagonal stripe designs just to make it harder to see that they weren't wearing seatbelts.)
By analogy, it's like saying we shouldn't outlaw incandescent light bulbs because in the future there may be some new technology which relies on that, and then we'd be stuck with that law. Maybe, but (1) that's speculative that new technology comes about, (2) assumes people always do what's in their long-term best interest, and (3) laws can change.
Moreover, speaking from empirical evidence rather than armchair theorycrafting, I think the change when the mandated that all cellphone providers use a standard back some 10-ish years ago has been a great change. Do you remember when every cell phone had its own unique charger? I do, and it was terrible. Based on that past success, forcing Apple to standardize seems like it is more likely to cause good than cause harm. (This is also evidence that the EU does change regulations as the times change, by the way.)
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday June 10 2022, @11:39PM
The obvious rebuttal: marketing. Get a few race car drivers that walked away from spectacular wrecks to give awesome testimonials.
Which is a good reason actually. On your points: 1) new technology does come about, 2) it doesn't matter what's in peoples' long term interests - that's not government's job nor are they any good at it, and 3) laws change a whole lot slower than technology does. Everyone has terrible laws that have stuck around for decades or centuries because they aren't terrible enough to enough people for enough political will to change them.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday June 08 2022, @04:24PM (1 child)
The previous standard was micro USB. We are watching them update in the face of new technology right now!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @08:36PM
Yes. They mandated a standard (micro USB), and that standard was an inferior piece of fragile shit compared to what Apple was using. Did the manufacturers pull their heads out of their asses this time with USB-C?
(Score: 4, Funny) by isj on Wednesday June 08 2022, @03:00PM (2 children)
Headline from Danish tabloid: "Finally: EU wants one adaptor for mobile phone charging".
First comment: "Which country are they going to put that in?"
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday June 08 2022, @03:07PM
I hope that adapter has a long enough cord to reach to people in other countries.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 08 2022, @08:39PM
Makes some sense. The power plug that connects to the wall socket will not be standard across the EU anyway.