Apple's iPhones May Have To Use USB-C Thanks To The EU

Being an Apple user in a room full of Android users or vice versa is always an annoyance because someone's going to have to bring their own charger for their phone. However, the EU is working to combat the issue of multiple formats for electronic device chargers, which results in as much e-waste as it does dead phones, by proposing that USB-C becomes the standard charging port. The legislation would apply to devices from all manufacturers, including Apple and its ever-popular iPhones.

In a proposal, the European Commission, an arm of the European Union, wrote that the proposed legislation would make USB-C "the standard port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers, and handheld videogame consoles." Additionally, the proposal would "unbundle" charger sales from electronics sales, meaning customers won't always get a new charger with their electronic device, a practice appley has employed for some time now with its iPhones. The main goal of this new legislation would be to prevent customers from building a currently all-too-common stockpile of various chargers and cables, resulting in massive amounts of e-waste.

The proposal, titled the Radio Equipment Directive, still has some steps to go through before it can be signed into law. It first needs to be adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council. If ratified, companies in the tech industry will have two years before the law goes into effect, giving them time to adjust product designs. It's also worth noting that despite this law only affecting Europe, it could very well make USB-C the worldwide standard unless companies want to manufacture different versions of their products just for Europe.

While USB-C is fairly common already, Apple is one of the lone major companies holding out from adopting the charging format completely. While Apple's newer iPads and MacBooks use USB-C, iPhones, including the upcoming iPhone 13, still use the company's proprietary lightning cable The company has already spoken against the EU's proposal, with Reuters reporting that the company remains "concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world."