- New European repairability rules for phone makers will arrive in 2027
- This means that phone batteries will need to be replaced
- A return to the full pop-out mechanism is unlikely, however.
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After ruling recently on age verification, device interoperability and app store monopolies, European Union lawmakers are now turning their attention to phone repairability – and in particular, how easily a phone’s battery can be replaced.
As The Olive Press reports, new laws will take effect in 2027 that will require manufacturers to make it relatively easy to remove and replace batteries from mobile devices. These laws will only apply to the EU, but the mechanics of mass production mean devices in other markets could also be affected.
However, it’s unlikely we’ll see a return to the old approach to battery replacement, where the phone case could be removed by hand and the battery replaced in seconds. As SamMobile points out, the regulations 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 “specialized tools, unless they are provided free with the product.” So maybe it’s less about the removable batteries and more about some small disassembly tools included in the box – although we’ll have to wait and see exactly how phone makers respond.
As Bloomberg reports, this doesn’t just apply to phones and tablets. Smart glasses are among the gadgets that will also be affected, while Nintendo has already reportedly developed a Switch 2 console with a changeable battery.
The right to repair
EU to require replacement of batteries in phones and tablets from 2027 by r/apple
Although today’s phone batteries can’t be replaced as easily as 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 and other laws around the world.
Indeed, it seems Apple doesn’t have to worry at all: as noted on Reddit, batteries capable of maintaining an 80% capacity level after 1,000 cycles are not covered by the new rules. Apple meets this standard, according to its official support documents, on models starting with the iPhone 15 launching in 2023.
Apple’s new CEO John Ternus has previously said he supports the right to repair as a whole, but he thinks “repairability in isolation” isn’t always the best answer — and that making products that last is a bigger priority than making them repairable.
On the user side, the reaction was mostly positive: editors called the new rules a “big, pro-consumer change” and a “good move” by the EU, with many noting that the battery is usually the first component to fail in a phone.
The legislation has actually been several years in the making, but it will finally come into force from February 2027. This means that devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S27 could be among the first to have to comply with the new EU directives.
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