- New EU repairability rules for phone manufacturers arrive in 2027
- They mean that phone batteries must be replaceable
- However, a return to the full pop-out mechanism is unlikely
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After ruling on age verification, device interoperability and app store monopolies in recent times, EU lawmakers are now turning their attention to phone repairability – and in particular how easily a phone battery can be replaced.
As reported by The Olive Press, new laws come into effect in 2027 that mean manufacturers are required to make it relatively easy to remove and replace batteries in mobile devices. These laws will only apply to the EU, but the mechanics of mass production mean that devices in other markets may also be affected.
However, we’re unlikely to see a return to the old approach to battery replacement – where a phone case could be removed by hand and the battery replaced in a matter of seconds. As SamMobile points out, the rules specifically refer to batteries that are “easily removable and replaceable” by the end user.
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This means batteries that can be removed without the use of “special tools, unless supplied free of charge with the product”. So maybe it’s less a case of pop-out batteries, and more a case of a couple of tiny disassembly tools included in the box – although we’ll have to wait and see exactly how phone manufacturers respond.
As Bloomberg reports, this doesn’t just apply to phones and tablets either. Smart glasses are among the gadgets that will also be affected, while Nintendo has apparently already developed a Switch 2 console with a replaceable battery.
The right to repair
EU to force replaceable batteries in phones and tablets from 2027 from r/apple
Although today’s phone batteries can’t be replaced as easily as they could in the past, it’s actually not that difficult if you know what you’re doing. Apple already offers do-it-yourself repair kits for replacing batteries and other components, for example, in part because of this incoming legislation and other laws around the world.
In fact, it looks like Apple may not need to worry at all: As mentioned on Reddit, batteries that can maintain a capacity level of 80% after 1,000 cycles are not covered by the new rulings. Apple meets this standard, according to its official support documents, on iPhone 15 models launched in 2023.
Incoming Apple CEO John Ternus has previously said he supports the right to repair broadly, but believes that “repairability in isolation” isn’t always the best answer — and that making products that last is a bigger priority than making them repairable.
As for users, the reaction has been mostly positive: Redditors have called the incoming rules a “big consumer-friendly change” and a “good move” by the EU, with many noting that the battery is typically the first component to fail in a phone.
The legislation has actually been several years in the making, but will finally come into effect from February 2027. This means that devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S27 may be among the first to comply with the new guidelines in the EU.
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