The EU has walked back its rules that would require certain devices to have "easily removable and replaceable" batteries. Amongst those exceptions are the Apple Watch, and AirPods.
The European Union has been floating this idea for some time now. The rule, which falls under Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1670, would require manufacturers to allow users to easily remove and replace batteries within devices.
However, it didn't take long for the Commission to walk that one back. As of Tuesday, EU regulators have now exempted wearable tech and a handful of other devices from said rule.
This means that the Apple Watch, along with Meta's smart glasses, will no longer be expected to meet this requirement. Also exempt are electric toys and industrial devices where battery removal could pose a significant safety hazard.
There are a few reasons these items are now exempt. The first is operational conditions.
Many of these devices are expected to operate in wet or humid environments. The logic here is that a user likely would not be able to sufficiently reseal the battery compartment after replacement, posing a safety hazard.
Technically, the regulations already protected certain wet-operation devices, such as electric toothbrushes. Wearables, however, have now been added to that "wet" category.
Items are also exempt if they are deemed too dangerous to have the battery removed. This may be due to the way the product is designed or the environment in which it is used.
A device used by children could become a choking hazard if the battery were removable. Likewise, removable batteries may pose an explosion risk in certain environments.
Lastly, items that cannot be redesigned with "current state of the art technology" are also exempt. For example, it would be highly unlikely that Apple could redesign AirPods with removable batteries, purely because of their small size.
A Commission spokesperson stressed to Politico that the move was not made to placate any one business or government. Instead, the move was done "to ensure safer consumer and industrial products in cases where opening a device could create safety risks or where technical limits make consumer access unrealistic."
The rules are still in place for certain devices and are expected to go into effect in 2027. Nintendo, for example, will be selling a revised version of its Switch 2 console in the EU with a user-replaceable battery.
The iPhone, however, was already exempt because it met existing criteria under the original regulation. Exemption largely depends on battery lifespan and ingress protection (IP) ratings.
Of course, users can still have an iPhone battery replaced at an Apple Store, authorized repair partner, or via the Self Service Repair Program.
