USB-C port is now mandatory for all phones in European region

Late last year, we saw the European Union propose making USB-C ports a universal charging port for all smartphones and digital devices. We also learned that the EU will meet to decide on the future of this proposal. As it turns out, the meeting took place today and authorities reached an agreement to mandate USB-C ports on all smartphones, including Apple's iPhones, sold in the EU. See details below!

The European Union has unified USB Type-C after negotiations between various EU agencies. To recall, the Act was in operation for more than a decade. You can also see the official tweet of the European Parliament attached below.

Today we made the common charger a reality in Europe! European consumers have long been frustrated by the accumulation of multiple chargers with each new device. Now they will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics, European Parliament reporter Alex Agius Saliba said in a press release.

Now, it's an interesting proposal that would force companies to integrate a USB-C port into all electronic devices, including smartphones, digital tablets, cameras, headphones, and handheld video game consoles, that will be sold in the EU by 2024. In a "common charger" environment for all electronic devices A move by the EU to reduce e-waste. This will make life easier for consumers as they will no longer need to carry multiple charging cables for different devices. This will allow people to save more money, which is estimated at 250 million euros a year.

This means that whether Apple likes it or not, it will now have to switch to USB-C for its iPhone models that still use the aging Lightning port for wired charging and data transfer. Although Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that Apple may finally do the job next year, we're still unsure. Currently, the only USB-C-supported iPhone is a hardware engineer's DIY project that became one of the most expensive iPhones on eBay earlier this year.

However, Apple has a large market in the European region. While the company is said to have sold 241 million iPhones worldwide in 2021, 56 million of the sales came from Europe. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how Apple deals with this law if it decides to continue providing Lightning ports on its iPhones. That said, the deal is for wired charging so who knows, Apple could revive its portless iPhone to avoid using USB-C for charging.

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton was asked if the law was specifically targeted at Apple, saying it was not. “The rule applies to everyone. It is not accepted against anyone. We are working for consumers, not companies, and we have to regulate these companies; The rules for entering the internal market are clear," Breton added.

It is also said that OEMs are now required to provide people with clear information about the charging features of new devices. Also, interoperability of charging solutions may also be introduced soon.

This no word on when this will apply to other regions. Do you think Apple will buckle down and start shipping iPhones with USB-C? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below what you think about this new law.