Home Industry Technology EU agrees on single phone charger law The plan would force all companies to make phones, tablets, e-readers and digital cameras to use the USB-C charger by Bloomberg June 8, 2022 All smartphones and tablets would have to use a common charger under a provisional European Union agreement clinched on Tuesday. The plan would force all companies – most notably Apple – to make phones, tablets, e-readers and digital cameras to use the USB-C charger, negotiators announced. The plan, which the European Commission unveiled last year, was provisionally approved Tuesday and will save consumers an estimated EUR250m ($267m) each year. The European Parliament and 27 EU countries need to sign off on the agreement. Phones and tablet makers will have to comply by the fall of 2024. “A common charger is common sense for the many electronic devices on our daily lives,” Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said in a statement. “European consumers will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics – an important step to increase convenience and reduce waste.” The proposal originally angered Apple, which said it would reduce innovation. But the company is currently testing future iPhone models that replace the current Lightning charging port with the more prevalent USB-C connector. Tags Apple European Union Phone Charger smartphones Tablets 0 Comments You might also like Apple to halt US sales of Series 9, Ultra 2 smartwatches over patent dispute Europe agrees landmark AI regulation deal Apple beats quarterly estimates as iPhone sales edge up Apple revamps MacBook lineup with M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips