The European Parliament has voted in favor of making USB-C the standard charging port for devices across various categories, including smartphones, tablets, cameras, and more. While many OEMs have already transitioned to USB-C, Apple still offers its proprietary Lightning connector on iPhones, AirPods, and other accessories. With the new law in place, Apple will have to switch to USB-C by the end of 2024.

In a press release, the European Parliament states that "all mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in the EU will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port" by the end of 2024. The new requirements will extend to cover laptops in spring 2026. It further highlights:

Under the new rules, consumers will no longer need a different charger every time they purchase a new device, as they will be able to use one single charger for a whole range of small and medium-sized portable electronic devices.

Regardless of their manufacturer, all new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigations systems, earbuds and laptops that are rechargeable via a wired cable, operating with a power delivery of up to 100 Watts, will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C port.

All devices that support fast charging will now have the same charging speed, allowing users to charge their devices at the same speed with any compatible charger.

Although not mentioned in the release, the law requires manufacturers to adopt the USB Power Delivery standard for fast charging. However, it won't prevent manufacturers from implementing their own fast-charging standards. Manufacturers will still be able to offer proprietary fast charging standards on their devices as long as they also provide USB Power Delivery support. Since the new law does not cover wireless charging, the European Commission plans to implement new interoperability requirements by the end of 2024.

Note that the European Council still has to formally approve the directive before it's published in the EU Official Journal. The law will go into effect 20 days after publication. Member states will have 12 months to transpose the rules and 12 months after the transposition period to apply them. The law won't apply to products that hit the market before the date of application.

Although the law requires all devices to switch to USB-C by the end of 2024, Apple could make the change as soon as next year. The company has reportedly been testing iPhones with USB-C internally, and next year's iPhone 15 lineup could mark the switch to USB-C.


Source: European Parliament