The European Union is one step closer to making Apple and other electronics companies use a single charging standard for phones and tablets.
On Tuesday, the European Parliament gave its final approval to new rules that will apply to small and medium-sized electronics starting at the end of 2024. In the spring of 2026, the rules will apply to larger devices like laptops.
A wide range of new devices sold in the EU will have to use the USB-C charging standard. This is the first law of its kind.
Electronics like rechargeable cameras, headphones, portable speakers, and handheld game consoles are also covered.
The decision will mostly get rid of proprietary charging standards in the trading bloc, like Apple’s Lightning connector, which is used to charge iPhones right now.
Lawmakers all over the world have called for similar standards because of the EU’s plan.
In the United States, three Democratic senators asked the Commerce Department earlier this year to come up with a “comprehensive strategy” for charging accessories. They did this because charging accessories are inconvenient for consumers and wasteful for the environment.
A report from the EU Parliament says that when the EU was making laws, Apple told officials that the proposed rule would make useless as many as a billion devices and accessories that use the Lightning connector.
In the same report, a study from 2021 said that iPhones with Lightning connectors made up 18% of sales of new mobile phones in 2019, while 44% used USB-C and 38% used an older USB connector called Micro-B.
The vote on Tuesday is one of the formal steps that must be taken to finalise a policy that EU officials worked out this summer.
In the EU Parliament, 602 people voted for the measure, 13 people voted against it, and 8 people didn’t vote.
It will now go to the European Council to be approved for good.
