- The EU agreed on legislation to require a universal charging port on all smartphones sold in the EU by fall 2024.
- Apple, which uses the lightning port on iPhones, has previously spoken against the legislation.
- Consumers can save up to 250 million euros a year from buying chargers under the law, according to the EU.
Many Apple fans have been asking for the iPhone to make the switch from the Lightning charger to USB-C for years — and new legislation in the EU appears poised to deliver that in the next two years.
After a decade of negotiations between the European Parliament and the European Commission to have a common charger for electronics, EU lawmakers agreed this week on legislation that requires all smartphones with wired charging sold in the EU to have the universal USB-C charging port by fall 2024.
In a press release from the European Parliament who have been pushing for the law, the legislation is "part of a broader EU effort to make products in the EU more sustainable, to reduce electronic waste, and make consumers' lives easier."
The move will directly impact Apple, who has long favored its Lightning charging port after making the transition from the larger, 30-pin connector starting with the iPhone 5. Apple is a top smartphone provider in Europe, and holds around 23% of the smartphone market share on the continent, according to Strategy Analytics's research on smartphone sales in 2021.
Apple has previously spoken against the EU's proposal to require a USB-C charging port, but Bloomberg previously reported that the company is testing iPhones with the port. Some Apple products already use the USB-C port, but the iPhone has been a notable exception.
However, The Verge points out that Apple could technically sidestep the requirement by ditching the wired-charging port altogether in favor of an iPhone that exclusively charges wirelessly. An Apple spokesperson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the agreement.
Regardless of what Apple decides to do, EU customers can expect one thing: fewer charging cords and dongles.
Disposed chargers make up 11,000 tons of e-waste annually, according to the announcement, and European Parliament believes the legislation will lead EU consumers to re-use their chargers more, helping them save up to 250 million euros a year from having to buy new chargers.
"European consumers were frustrated long with multiple chargers piling up with every new device," Alex Agius Saliba, Parliament's rapporteur, said in the press release. "Now they will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics."
The press release lists all of the devices that will require the USB Type-C port, including mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, earbuds, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld video game consoles, and portable speakers.
The legislation, which still needs to be approved by Parliament and the European Council later in the year, will give manufacturers two years to comply with the law. Chargers for laptops will have 40 months to comply after the law is enforced.
