UK won't copy EU USB-C common charger mandate

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone
The UK government is not going to follow the European Union's requirement for the iPhone and all smartphones to use USB-C as a common charging system.




Following more than a decade of debate over a common charger to be used by all devices, the European Union has formally agreed on the issue. From late 2024, the new rules requiring USB-C as a common charger will go into force across Europe -- but not in the UK.

According to BBC News, a UK government spokesperson said that "we are not currently considering replicating this requirement." However, both UK and EU officials say that the common charger requirement will apply to devices sold in Northern Ireland.

The UK lost the protection of EU agreements when it left the Union through its "Brexit" plan. Ireland remains in the European Union, though, which led the UK government to agree a special deal regarding Northern Ireland.

Subsequently, the UK has proposed breaking the deal it negotiated, but for the moment, Northern Ireland would be subject to EU product standards. The UK has separately insisted that it has created a tough standards body to protect users against Big Tech, but it has failed to give that body any powers.

As the UK postpones that, and struggles to renegotiate global trade deals on its own, it's probable that there is little legislative time for the country to consider emulating the EU's charger stance.

However, it's also possible that there will be no need. It's more likely that Apple will move to either wireless charging, or sell Lightning to USB-C adapters, than it is to create a separate iPhone model for the UK.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 55
    mfrydmfryd Posts: 227member
    The new EU rule only applies to phones that used wired charging.  It does not apply to phones that only use wireless charging (such as Apple's MagSafe).  If Apple used software to disable charging on the lightning port, that would make the iPhone 13 compliant with the new USB-C rule.
    polishviclauyyclkruppwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 55
    JanNLJanNL Posts: 328member
    The UK lost the protection of EU agreements when it left the Union

    Or got the freedom back to make their own “rules”…

    Your opinion on Brexit, William, is clear  :)

    saarekrob53mike1Japheywilliamlondonmikeybabesionicleentropysappleinsideruserwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 55
    rgw1469rgw1469 Posts: 13member
    mfryd said:
    The new EU rule only applies to phones that used wired charging.  It does not apply to phones that only use wireless charging (such as Apple's MagSafe).  If Apple used software to disable charging on the lightning port, that would make the iPhone 13 compliant with the new USB-C rule.
    Sounds dumb as hell to me.
    baconstangcrowley
  • Reply 4 of 55
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,642member
    mfryd said:
    The new EU rule only applies to phones that used wired charging.  It does not apply to phones that only use wireless charging (such as Apple's MagSafe).  If Apple used software to disable charging on the lightning port, that would make the iPhone 13 compliant with the new USB-C rule.
    We don’t yet know what they will be doing there. They have said that wireless systems must be compatible with each other. Exactly what that means, we don’t yet know. Apple does use the Qi system, with modifications. But do they mean the size and even placement of the charger element on the back of the device as well as the system? Who knows?

    it’s not likely your statement is true, and it would be ridiculous as well. 
    edited June 2022 baconstangwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 55
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,642member
    It doesn’t matter if the UK doesn’t follow the rule. Can anyone imagine Apple using two different ports? One on phones going to some nations, and a different one going elsewhere? Not going to happen. Apple has almost definitely been studying going to USB C for years. This won’t be something out of the blue for them. There are advantages in transfer speeds. They could implement 20Gb/s. If they had the power budget they could even have Thunderbolt. Lightning is a better physical connector, and slimmer. But with Apple going to slightly thicker phones the past few years, that slight difference isn’t important anymore. It’s also been better sealed against water intrusion, but new USB C connectors are much improved.

    so the case for staying with Lightning only in the phone, basically, is becoming less supportable. And this would give Apple the excuse to tell people with lots of Lightning cables and accessories that they were forced to do it, so don’t get ticked off at them, blame the EU instead. That would be a win for Apple.
    edited June 2022 baconstangmuthuk_vanalingammwhitechiacaladanianioniclekiltedgreendarkvaderMplsPargonaut
  • Reply 6 of 55
    y2any2an Posts: 230member
    As with a lot of things Brexit, this is a crock. Apple will build to the EU requirement and UK customers will get that, for better or worse. Smoke and mirrors by a UK government in distress to explain any actual benefits from Brexit. 
    mknelsonMBearcrowleyavon b7chianubuswilliamlondondewmeDAalsethandyorkney
  • Reply 7 of 55
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    The current UK government has no interest in being seen to follow the EU in any regard, so this is no surprise whatsoever, and means precisely nothing in regard to whether the regulations are well founded or not.
    MBearchiakiltedgreendarkvaderargonaut
  • Reply 8 of 55
    AppleishAppleish Posts: 717member
    The UK is such an embarrassment. In a few years they will be begging to rejoin the EU.
    MBearwilliamlondonlkruppDAalsethjeffharrisscampercomspace808iOS_Guy80fotoformatAlex_V
  • Reply 9 of 55
    chelinchelin Posts: 115member
    Who cares? The UK is how large of a market? Compared to the 450 million people in EU, 330 million in the USA and the billions in China and India. The UK is irrelevant..
    avon b7nubuscaladanianandyorkneyjeffharrisspace808fotoformatAlex_Vxbitkiltedgreen
  • Reply 10 of 55
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    mfryd said:
    The new EU rule only applies to phones that used wired charging.  It does not apply to phones that only use wireless charging (such as Apple's MagSafe).  If Apple used software to disable charging on the lightning port, that would make the iPhone 13 compliant with the new USB-C rule.
    If compliance is the only goal, with no regard for massively pissing off every customer, then sure, great strategy!
    muthuk_vanalingamdarkvader
  • Reply 11 of 55
    dominikhoffmanndominikhoffmann Posts: 81member
    The benefits of Brexit are many. Not being subject to unelected bureaucrats and technocrats making decisions with plenty of unintended consequences is just one of them. Even in the U.S. there is far too much regulation.
    mike1JanNLwilliamlondonlkruppionicleentropysmobirdargonautwatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 55
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,311member
    Has anyone tried cleaning out lint from a USB-C port? It can carefully be done on a lightning port with a toothpick. Not sure how to get it out of the USB-C port. 
    DAalsethargonautwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 55
    JFC_PAJFC_PA Posts: 947member
    Apple already provides and sells USB-C to Lightning cables. At least as far back as the 12 series. With the formerly packed in the box and now simply available USB-C wall charger. (20W ?). 

    Meanwhile my iPad 12.9 is USB-C to USB-C with the very same wall charger….
    edited June 2022 watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 55
    nubusnubus Posts: 622member
    dominikhoffmann said:
    The benefits of Brexit are many. Not being subject to unelected bureaucrats and technocrats making decisions 
    The members of the European Parliament are very much directly elected, and they made the decision. Unlike the situation in UK where the head of state and most members of the upper house inherit seats without ever being (directly) elected. Only UK has a double layer of unelected leaders.

    USB-C is fine (it won't affect AppleWatch). Pushing vendors into writing on the packaging if a charger is included is fine. Moving towards standards for laptops and allowing interoperability for wireless on phones is fine. Apple always charged us extra for their chargers. Dell added special communication to power ports blocking non-Dell chargers. The industry tried for so many years to block chargers and "right-to-repair". It is good to see these things being fixed.

    Now, the odd thing is that Apple will stop upgrades to products they sold in 2019 and to Apple Watch 3 which is still being sold. There should be a minimum of security patches for products and the track record of the vendor should be placed on the packaging.
    andyorkneymobiusspace808Alex_Vkiltedgreendarkvader
  • Reply 15 of 55
    omasouomasou Posts: 640member
    mfryd said:
    The new EU rule only applies to phones that used wired charging.  It does not apply to phones that only use wireless charging (such as Apple's MagSafe).  If Apple used software to disable charging on the lightning port, that would make the iPhone 13 compliant with the new USB-C rule.
    or move to wireless charging on all new phones and ditch the lighting port.
    entropys
  • Reply 16 of 55
    omasouomasou Posts: 640member
    USBCexit :)  
    sloth77argonautwatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 55
    viclauyycviclauyyc Posts: 849member
    melgross said:
    It doesn’t matter if the UK doesn’t follow the rule. Can anyone imagine Apple using two different ports? One on phones going to some nations, and a different one going elsewhere? Not going to happen. Apple has almost definitely been studying going to USB C for years. This won’t be something out of the blue for them. There are advantages in transfer speeds. They could implement 20Gb/s. If they had the power budget they could even have Thunderbolt. Lightning is a better physical connector, and slimmer. But with Apple going to slightly thicker phones the past few years, that slight difference isn’t important anymore. It’s also been better sealed against water intrusion, but new USB C connectors are much improved.

    so the case for staying with Lightning only in the phone, basically, is becoming less supportable. And this would give Apple the excuse to tell people with lots of Lightning cables and accessories that they were forced to do it, so don’t get ticked off at them, blame the EU instead. That would be a win for Apple.
    I think the more important issues is the future. Sure USB C is the best option now. But what about 10 years down the road? The same thing applies to SCSI, it was the best, but hardly anyone use it now. And we all know government is really slow to react to change. So EU user might need to use USB C for the next 20 years. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 55
    mobiusmobius Posts: 380member
    JanNL said:
    The UK lost the protection of EU agreements when it left the Union

    Or got the freedom back to make their own “rules”…

    Your opinion on Brexit, William, is clear  :)

    We already had that freedom before we left the EU.
    Alex_Vkiltedgreendarkvaderargonaut
  • Reply 19 of 55
    jeffharrisjeffharris Posts: 847member
    rob53 said:
    Has anyone tried cleaning out lint from a USB-C port? It can carefully be done on a lightning port with a toothpick. Not sure how to get it out of the USB-C port. 
    A vacuum?
  • Reply 20 of 55
    JeanPierreDeElleJeanPierreDeElle Posts: 24member
    You say "the UK lost the protection of EU agreements when it left the Union".  it's however more like that since BREXIT the UK is now protected FROM that bunch of un-elected bureaucratic buffoons !
    ioniclewatto_cobra
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