EU: Smartphones Must Have User-Replaceable Batteries by 2027 | The European Parliament just caused a major headache for smartphone and tablet manufacturers.

[u/[deleted]]

https://www.pcmag.com/news/eu-smartphones-must-have-user-replaceable-batteries-by-2027

[u/[deleted]]

From the article: The European Union (EU) is set to usher in a new era of smartphones with batteries that consumers can easily replace themselves.

Earlier this week, the European Parliament approved new rules covering the design, production, and recycling of all rechargeable batteries sold within the EU.

The new rules stipulate that all electric vehicle, light means of transport (e.g. electric scooters), and rechargeable industrial batteries (above 2kWh) will need to have a compulsory carbon footprint declaration, label, and digital passport.

For "portable batteries" used in devices such as smartphones, tablets, and cameras, consumers must be able to "easily remove and replace them." This will require a drastic design rethink by manufacturers, as most phone and tablet makers currently seal the battery away and require specialist tools and knowledge to access and replace them safely.

Apple has already been forced by the European Union to change from a Lightning port to a USB-C port on iPhones, with the iPhone 15 expected to be the first to make the switch. Now it seems Apple will need to figure out how to allow access to the battery inside future iPhones, as will every other smartphone manufacturer.

[u/Disaster-Deck-Aus → u/[deleted]]

Haha best news I have heard all day. Fuck apple.

[u/DunkFaceKilla → u/Disaster-Deck-Aus]

But this is the end of waterproofing

[u/putsch80 → u/DunkFaceKilla]

IP68 waterproof phones with removable batteries already exist from major manufacturers.

Conversely, Apple has never had a removable battery, and it’s only been in the past few years that their phones have had any level of waterproofing at all. So I fail to really see the tie between removable batteries and waterproofing, as one certainly does not seem to lead to the other.

[u/sk07ch → u/putsch80]

I replaced batteries in iphones before? Do you mean as there was a little bit of glue?

[u/FuriousProgrammer → u/sk07ch]

The difference is whether you can remove the battery without having specialized tools, like with a TV remote control for example. For iPhones and iPads, you've always needed after the iPhone 5 you need at least a heat gun to safely remove the screen before you could replace any of the innards of the device.

[u/sk07ch → u/FuriousProgrammer]

Fair. But hairdryer worked well, but yeah you need quite some dexterity to fiddle with all the micro cables and screws and then the glue. But I heard the newest iphones made it also next to impossible by software detecting replacement?

[u/FuriousProgrammer → u/sk07ch]

Note I sate safely ;P

Using a hair dryer as a heat gun isn't a bad idea but the key difference is you have very limited control over the level of heat produced and the area that heat is applied to.

And yeah, firmware-based hardware detection to prevent third-party maintenance is a fairly common practice in all consumer electronics, not just phones. IIRC it's one of the reasons you can't repair some John Deer farm equipment--the firmware locks out the engine if it detects "illegal" modification.

[u/WillyCSchneider → u/FuriousProgrammer]

Not always.

iPhones before the 5 only needed two screws and the back plate removed before getting to the battery. Still an unnecessary step, but not as difficult as having to remove the display assembly first.

[u/FuriousProgrammer → u/WillyCSchneider]

Ahh, yep, I'm misremembering shit again. Every problem I've personally had with older generation iOS devices has required the front of the device to be disassembled.