Tomorrow Is USB-C Day in the European Union
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While we’ve known it’s been coming for years, tomorrow is the day that every smartphone and most other pieces of digital electronics sold in the European Union will no longer be able to be sold without a USB-C port.
The European Commission has struggled to enforce a common charging standard for the past 15 years. To give you an idea of how far back this battle goes, the EC mandated Micro USB as the standard in 2009. However, compliance in those days was voluntary, and some companies — Apple included — found clever ways around the problem.
Instead of adopting Micro USB back then, Apple moved away from its 30-pin Dock Connector in 2012 to the Lightning connector that nearly every Apple device owner should be familiar with. In the end, the EC realized that “voluntary compliance” wasn’t going to cut it; by early 2020, the Commission had decided to take a more forceful approach and passed new legislation in 2022, drawing a hard line on USB-C as the common charging standard.
No longer would companies be able to work around the problem by providing adapters. Lightning to USB-C wouldn’t’ cut it; the iPhone had to have a USB-C port, or Apple wouldn’t be permitted to sell it anywhere in the European Union. However, the EC realized it couldn’t kneecap big tech companies overnight, so it gave them until the end of 2024 to get with the program.
Specifically, today is the final day that companies in the EU will be permitted to sell mobile phones and most other electronics with any wired charging method other than a USB-C port. That includes Apple’s Lightning port and things like Micro USB, Mini USB, and old-school barrel connector chargers. From here on in, it’s USB-C or nothing.
Apple didn’t take long to fall into line with the original directive. It was too late to change direction on the iPhone 14 since it was already in the late stages of development and early trial production when the new EU laws came into force. However, the iPhone 15 went all-in on USB-C the following year, and Apple hasn’t looked back since.
The AirPods Pro received a modest USB-C upgrade alongside the iPhone 15 lineup, and this fall, the AirPods 4 were launched — naturally with USB-C — and the AirPods Max had their Lightning port swapped out for a USB-C one (but not much else changed). Finally, Apple’s Mac accessories — the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboards, and Magic Trackpad — shifted to USB-C in late October. A few other accessories that used a Lightning port, such as the MagSafe Duo and MagSafe Battery Pack, were simply discontinued with no replacements. Apple’s iPads and Macs have sported USB-C ports for years, with the last Lightning model, the 2021 ninth-generation iPad, being phased out earlier this year.
This means Apple has shifted all of its current products to USB-C, but there are still three things it sells with Lightning ports: The 2022 iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone SE. However, as we shared last week, those three won’t be sold in the European Union for much longer.
The iPhone SE is due for a new model early next year, but until then, the 2022 model is Apple’s most wallet-friendly iPhone. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are part of Apple’s tradition of selling its two-year-old models at lower prices. They’ll be bumped out of the rotation in September when the iPhone 17 lineup arrives and the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus move down into that lower tier.
However, those timelines aren’t fast enough for the EU, which has ruled that all devices “placed on the market” after today must charge via a USB-C port. “Placed on the market” doesn’t mean designed or created, but rather put on sale in the EU. Technically, Apple and its resellers should be able to sell off any existing iPhone 14 or iPhone SE inventory, but they won’t be able to put any new ones on sale.
Those three iPhone models began showing as unavailable in Apple’s Swiss store last week (Switzerland isn’t part of the EU, but it passed its own parallel regulation, and it participates in the EU single market). Other countries still show some models on their online stores, likely just to clear out what’s already “on the market.”
Once those are cleared out, the most affordable phone that Apple sells in the EU will become the 2023 iPhone 15, putting the cost of entry for an iPhone between 849 to 879 Euros.
The new European Union rules don’t just apply to Apple. Nearly every rechargeable electronic device is included here, which means tablets, game consoles, digital cameras, headphones, e-readers, keyboards, mice, and more. Even novelty items like book lamps and fans that commonly use Micro USB are affected by this.
The notable exception is laptops, where the European Commission is giving manufacturers a bit more time to comply. Those will still ultimately require USB-C ports, but they’ll have until April 28, 2026, to do so. That’s more for PC laptop makers, as Apple’s MacBooks have charged over USB-C for years — and still do. The modern MacBook Pro lineup has a new MagSafe 3 port, but that won’t likely run afoul of the EU regulations because it’s not the sole method for charging; a standard USB-C cable can still be plugged into any port.
Wireless charging isn’t covered by the new rules either, and while the EU has been talking about standardizing this also, it’s unclear what direction the Commission will go in. Based on how long it took the EC to mandate USB-C, we expect a wireless charging directive is still at least 3–5 years away.
