EU votes to bring back removable batteries in phones and appliances

The new law will restrict manufacturers from selling phones that require special tools to open up.

There was a time when smartphone batteries could be easily swapped out. EU wants to bring those days back. (Image: Tyler Lastovich/Unsplash)

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In a sweeping change to an existing law, 587 European Parliamentarians voted to force all gadgets to have easily replaceable batteries, with only 9 opposing the change. By replaceable batteries, they mean the kind that powered 12-button phones, replacing which used to be as simple as popping open the back cover and slipping in a new unit.

Basically, the new law restricts manufacturers from selling phones that require special tools to open up. This means when the law is enforced, users – at least in the EU – will be able to replace batteries themselves. It will take a while before the law is implemented, though, so don’t expect changes overnight as of yet. The law goes into effect 3.5 years from now, which means early 2027.

There was a time when smartphones had batteries that could be easily swapped out – no elaborate tools, heat guns, or special training needed. But the demand for thinner and lighter devices led to battery packs that were almost inseparable from the phones. Nowadays, most smartphones have such fragile interiors that removing the back cover often means losing the warranty.

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It’d be interesting to see how phone manufacturers respond to this change. They would have to abandon the adhesives that hold together the now-staple ‘glass sandwich’ design and adopt a radically different approach.

This law applies solely to the European Union, but phone manufacturers would likely not design phones specifically for that region. For instance, with the EU enforcing the standardisation of USB-C, Apple is rumoured to ditch the Lightning port entirely instead of producing USB-C iPhones for Europe.

But the real goal of the law is to cut down on environmental waste, and it covers a lot more than just phones. The MEPs want the tech industry to be more responsible about batteries in appliances as a whole. They are enforcing stricter waste collection targets, more effective waste recycling, and compulsory carbon footprint declaration and label for electric vehicles.

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European Union