The USB-C iPhone is coming in the next two years, but maybe not to the UK. The European Union has set a hard December 28 deadline for phone makers to adopt the USB-C charging standard, but the law only applies to EU countries, the BBC (opens in new tab) reports.
From the December deadline, all new portable electronic devices sold within the EU must use USB-C. This includes mobile phones, tablets, wireless headphones, and portable game consoles.
Apple’s iPhones use their own proprietary Lightning connector, although rumors are circulating that Apple has tested a USB-C variant. It has also switched most of its iPad models from Lightning to USB-C in recent years.
The EU had previously claimed that USB-C should be standard by autumn 2024. But now that the law has appeared in the Official Journal of the EU, the December 2024 deadline has been set.
Apple’s Greg Joswiak has previously told the media that the company will “obviously” comply with the new law. But the law may not apply to the UK as it left the EU with Brexit – the UK government previously said it is “not currently considering” replicating the law on these coasts.
As things stand, the law will apply to Northern Ireland, under the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol. This would mean iPhones sold in Northern Ireland would use a different connector than the one used in the UK.
Talks are currently underway to reform the Northern Ireland protocol. So by December 2024 a solution could have been found.
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