EU Draft Proposals Require Phone Makers to Provide Spare Parts for 5 Years and Ensure Longer Battery Life

Smartphone manufacturers supplying the EU will be required to provide spare parts for at least five years from the date of a device's introduction and ensure longer battery life, according to new draft proposals published by the European Commission.

European Commisssion
The Financial Times reports that the proposals would require at least 15 different component parts to be made available and that batteries should survive at least 500 full charges without deteriorating to below 83 percent of their capacity.

Phones sold in the EU would also have to display an energy efficiency label, similar to those used for washing machines and dishwashers, showing expected battery life and other characteristics such as the device's drop resistance.

The draft regulations cover tablets and mobile phones, and are based on the claim that by making hardware more repairable and recyclable, the energy consumption involved in a device's production and use would be cut by a third.

Currently, owners of iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac or Apple TV products can obtain a service and parts from Apple service providers, including Apple Retail Stores and Independent Repair Providers, for a minimum of five years from when Apple last distributed the product for sale.

After five years, iPhones are typically classified by Apple as "vintage" and Apple can still service these devices if it has the parts. After seven years, devices are classed as "obsolete" and hardware servicing is no longer available.

Apple in April launched its own Self Service Repair program, which allows users to complete their own repairs via a new online store dedicated to parts and tools, but the service is currently only available in the United States, although it will be expanding to additional countries, including Europe, later in 2022.

The new proposals also cover software, and require manufacturers to provide security updates for five years after devices leave the market and functionality updates for three years. Apple has typically offered software support to iPhones for almost a decade after they are released, but owners of Android phones typically receive only a few years of software updates, so the regulations are likely to greatly impact Google.

Smartphone makers critical of the draft proposals have argued that making more parts available actually increases the consumption of plastic, resulting in wasted resources, but the EU has warned that products which do not meet its sustainability requirements "will go off the market."

The latest draft EU proposals follow a requirement introduced in June for smartphones to use a standardized charger by 2024, despite years of opposition from Apple.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

ios 19 messages app

Apple Sues Jon Prosser Over iOS 26 Leaks

Thursday July 17, 2025 8:40 pm PDT by
Earlier this year, YouTuber Jon Prosser shared multiple videos showing off what he claimed to be re-created renderings of what was then presumed to be called iOS 19 and which was eventually unveiled by Apple as iOS 26 at WWDC in June. In his first video back in January, Prosser showed off a Camera app redesign with a simpler set of buttons for moving between photo and video modes, and he...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 16 New Features

Thursday July 17, 2025 8:33 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models.Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro ...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

Ranked: The Best Features Rumored for the iPhone 17 Lineup

Wednesday July 16, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
We have just under two months to go until the debut of Apple's iPhone 17 models, and rumors have been ramping up in recent weeks. We went through everything we know so far, pulling out the most exciting rumors and highlighting some other changes that aren't going to be so great. Top Tier Ultra Thin iPhone 17 Air - The iPhone 17 Air is 2025's most exciting iPhone rumor, because it's the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone's Thickness and Price Range Detailed in New Reports

Wednesday July 16, 2025 11:31 am PDT by
Apple's long-rumored foldable iPhone will likely have a starting price between $1,800 and $2,000 in the U.S., analysts at investment banking firm UBS said this week. If so, the foldable iPhone would cost more than a MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,599. With a starting price of at least $1,800, the foldable iPhone would be the most expensive iPhone model ever released, topping the Pro Max at...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Here's When to Expect the iOS 26 Public Beta

Tuesday July 15, 2025 11:07 am PDT by
Apple previously announced that a public beta of iOS 26 would be available in July, and now a more specific timeframe has surfaced. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that Apple's public betas should be released on or around Wednesday, July 23. In other words, expect the public betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and more to be available at some point next week. Apple will be releasing...
iPhone 17 Air Thumb 2 Blue Electric Boogaloo

iPhone 17 Air's Limited Battery Capacity Leaked

Friday July 18, 2025 12:03 pm PDT by
The battery capacity of Apple's rumored iPhone 17 Air will be below the 3,000 mAh mark, according to a recent post from Instant Digital, an account with more than 1.4 million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. Thanks to iOS 26's new Adaptive Power Mode, though, the account said that the iPhone 17 Air should achieve full-day battery life. A previous rumor pegged the iPhone...
iPhone 17 Colors

All 15 New iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Colors Revealed in Latest Leak

Wednesday July 16, 2025 6:50 am PDT by
We may finally have a definitive list of all color options for the iPhone 17 series, ahead of the devices launching in September. MacRumors concept In a report for Macworld today, Filipe Espósito said he obtained an "internal document" that allegedly reveals all of the color options for the upcoming iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. The report includes ...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

iPhone 17 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Friday July 18, 2025 4:23 am PDT by
Apple is expected to hold its annual iPhone announcement event during the week of September 8, 2025, with September 9 or 10 emerging as the most likely dates. Like the iPhone 16 series, this year's lineup is expected to include four models – but with a twist. The ‌Plus device is being replaced with an all-new ultra-thin model, while the iPhone 17 Pro and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max are set to...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...

Top Rated Comments

EmotionalSnow Avatar
38 months ago

hey UE, dont you have bigger issues to deal with, like right now?
Because a person cannot work on multiple things at once? and are you even aware how many lawmakers we have?
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AndiG Avatar
38 months ago

Imagine a Europe that had strong, competitive technology.

That would be a better world
Ever heard of ASML? ASML is the only company in the world capable of making the machines that are needed to manufacture the most advanced chips. The machines TSMC needs to produce Apple silicon.

ASML - Netherlands/EU, you know?

ASML needs EUV Lasers, provided by Trumpf - Germany/EU. I think Trumpf is also the only company …

ASML needs brilliant optics, only ZEISS is capable to manufacture. Zeiss Germany/EU, you know?


So there wouldn‘t be any of you‘re beloved products without strong and competitive technology from Europe.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xxray Avatar
38 months ago
“Ensuring longer battery life”

Ok, good luck enforcing that lol.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
38 months ago
5 yrs spare parts basically means bankrupting most Android OEMs. Good.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
38 months ago

“Ensuring longer battery life”

Ok, good luck enforcing that lol.
Not really that hard. You can check how many charging cycles your phone went through and if it’s below 83%, well then they would have to service the battery for free. Presumably for 5 years?

Or if the device fails their battery test overall, they can slap a C or D eco friendly label on it
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blazerunner Avatar
38 months ago

having too many lawmakers is the reason why we are in this mess
No, it isn't. LOL.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)