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EU Exempts Apple Watch and AirPods from Battery Removal Requirements
- dyl000 3mo agoanyone know how you can build a water-resistant phone with a removable battery?
- redat00 3mo agoThe current issue with battery replacement is mainly the fact that they're glued to the phone. Which make them very dangerous to replace, as newbie might try to pry off the battery with metal tools (and you don't want to know what happens when a lithium battery is pierced.) The only thing that will change as far as I know is that battery won't be glued anymore. You'll still have to open the phone with screw like you did before.
- imtringued 3mo agoThey can still glue the battery in, they just have to do it in a removable way. If you've ever swapped a battery in a phone you would know that there are special battery adhesive foils for DIY battery swaps that have a tab that lets you pull on the adhesive foil and thereby remove the the battery much more easily.
- tsimionescu 3mo ago> The only thing that will change as far as I know is that battery won't be glued anymore. Nothing like that will change, not with this regulation, which already exempts any waterproof device like a waterproof phone. Per the article: > The iPhone was already exempt from the removability rule under the original regulation, thanks to its battery cycle life and water resistance rating.
- theshrike79 3mo agoIt's not even glued, it's like those 3M hooks you can slap on to a wall. The issue is people thinking they need to use maximum power to RIP it out, damaging everything in the process. You need a constant slow pull on the adhesive, which heats it a bit, causing it to release cleanly.
- fsuts 3mo agoWater resistant is a lower threshold than waterproof, the latter being harder. Many phones are water resistant with manufacturers guidance as to time and depth of water it can survive, eg iPhones https://support.apple.com/en-us/108039 https://support.apple.com/en-us/108039 As far as I’m aware, after you go to Apple or Samsung for a official battery replacement, there is no advisory issued to say the repair affected the previous level of water resistance
- andor 3mo agoIn practice, repairs affect the water resistance, and Apple Store employees will confirm that to you. They just don't want to say so in the product description as it would raise doubts.
- chickenimprint 3mo agoWe've had devices like this forever. A: add a gasket. B: glueseal everything except for the battery, connected via exposed gold pads.
- hurfdurf 3mo agoI.e. Samsung Galaxy S5 was IP67, Samsung Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro was IP68.
- Leonard_of_Q 3mo agoYes, many manufacturers know. I have a number of Motorola Defy phones from 2010/2011 with replaceable batteries, all waterproof. My daughter left hers in her back pocket when she put her trousers in the washing, the thing went through a whole washing + spin cycle and still worked.
- ivandenysov 3mo ago> it must still undergo scrutiny by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. I wonder what exactly that means. I hope the European Parliament won’t have to waste time voting on this.
- fsuts 3mo ago>some products, such as medical devices and so-called “wet appliances” (for example, electric toothbrushes or water flossers), are already exempt from this requirement, mainly for safety reasons. In these cases, batteries only need to be removable and replaceable by independent professionals. Note: this is exemption from user replacing battery themselves, not a blanket exemption on the product not being serviceable for battery As people will be wearing wearable products when it is raining these categories of clothes products have been classified as wet products [0] https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-adds-exemptions-portable-battery-removal-rules-2026-07-14_en https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-adds-exempt...
- afiori 3mo agoIMO they entire law should have been target at "replaceable by independent professionals", it is reasonable to require industry standard professional equipment for opening and working on a phone
- ryandrake 3mo agoWhat makes that reasonable? I can open and repair pretty much any other electronic device in my house if I need to. What makes a phone special?
- make3 3mo agoare the other devices waterproof
- ryandrake 3mo agoSome of them are.
- afiori 3mo agoyou can, but many of those repair can be delicate and require specialized equipment. The difference between the 2 requirements is the level of technical knowledge needed and the necessary investment in tools
- illliillll 3mo agoThis seems kind of obvious. How many Apple Watches and AirPods have ever become obsolete due to their batteries not being replaceable? I’d guess the number is pretty close to zero, these devices aren’t used for long enough for this to become a problem. If the goal was to sell more AirPods, not implementing “Find My” for them would’ve been a much better strategy.
- javier2 3mo agoMy old earpods were abandoned because the battery didnt even last a 40 minute run
- SomeUserName432 3mo ago> How many Apple Watches and AirPods have ever become obsolete due to their batteries not being replaceable? Every single pair of AirPods I've had has died due to one of them not charging anymore. I assume it's the battery. No idea where/how/who looks into this though, so I've just bought new ones.
- illliillll 3mo agoThis is probably just your AirPods or the case getting dirty, doesn’t sound like a failing battery at all.
- frereubu 3mo agoYeah, I've taken both my iPhone and Airpods into an Apple Store a couple of times and they cleaned the lightning / internal charging ports for free when the charging started getting a bit shaky, and haven't had any issues since. I'm slightly bemused that people don't think of this - a colleague was talking about getting a whole new iPhone because the lightning charging was getting a bit unreliable, but taking it in to get the port cleaned entirely restored it.
- SomeUserName432 3mo agoI'll keep it in mind when these fail.
- testhest 3mo agoSo the dummies just gave Apple a competitive advantage?
- pjc50 3mo agoIt will be all such devices, not specifying a manufacturer by name.
- GuestFAUniverse 3mo agoElectric toothbrushes are exempt? Why? We have several for our kids, with removable batteries from Oral-B. All are years old and still waterproof. And with that amount of voltage, where can there _ever_ be a "safety issue"? That is quackery! Sounds more like somebody lobbied successfully.
- Ciantic 3mo agoThat is what I also wonder, who added that tootbrush statement there? Given that Oral-B has done replacable batteries for years, and they have dominant position, I'm thinkin that statement didn't come from lobbies. Maybe someone who are making the law is reasoning with itself or small group and didn't know that replacable batteries in toothbrushes are already a thing.
- siim_osur 3mo agoYou can asbolutely redesign the devices to fit the requirement. It's absolutely a result of lobbying.
- bluecalm 3mo agoOral-B is an American company. Phillips is an European company. Phillips toothbrushes don't have removable batteries (at least none of many I owned had them). Now connect the dots. That is how things work in EU.
- hvb2 3mo ago> Now connect the dots. That is how things work in EU. Uh sure. If you've been paying attention the last year and a half it's the US putting up trade barriers to every other country. Like how the EU is under investigation for forced labor, that outcome might be used in the coming months to justify more tariffs. Just to address this one specific case. If they're exempt, and you can sell more of them, why would you go beyond the regulation? This is why regulation like this shouldn't have exemptions.
- bko 3mo ago
- samrus 3mo agoCowards. Force them to implement resealable waterproofing
- theshrike79 3mo agoWho is "them"? Everyone making wireless earbuds, because that's who it'd apply to.
- samrus 3mo agoEarbuds are fine to exclude. I mean phones
- mg 3mo agoWouldn't a "toxic waste tax" be better than all these individual regulations? Have a sales tax on each product that corresponds to the toxicity of its components. Exempt recycled materials from the tax so companies have an incentive to collect old parts and recycle them, preventing them from going to a landfill.
- BrenBarn 3mo agoI'd rather just have a tax based on the size of the company. Little Larry's Amazing Electric Toothbrush Inc. can pay $5 and Apple can pay $500 billion.
- izacus 3mo agoNo. Also, EU can't levy taxes, so it's a moot question.
- pjc50 3mo ago> companies have an incentive to collect old parts and recycle them, preventing them from going to a landfill You should read up on what the existing WEEE requirements are.
- plantain 3mo agoReally a check-mate move from Apple. Onerous limitations that apply to everyone except the mega-corps.
- theshrike79 3mo agoNon-megacorps can also build wrist devices and wireless headphones. The law doesn't explicitly list "AirPods" as exempt, you must understand that?
- maratc 3mo agoTitle a bit misleading: EU exempts all smartwatches (not just Apple Watch) and probably all wireless headphones (not just AirPods) as well: > The Commission is now adding six new product categories to the existing list of exemptions. This includes wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, electric toys, and products within the scope of the ATEX Directive (equipment used in explosive atmospheres such as explosion-proof motors, sensors, pumps or forklift trucks).
- sajithdilshan 3mo ago> The iPhone was already exempt from the removability rule under the original regulation, thanks to its battery cycle life and water resistance rating. I can understand for super compact devices like AirPods, you cannot provide replaceable batteries without making the device larger. But why on earth would they exempt iPhones? Like is it rocket science to build a water proof battery replaceable phone in 2026?
- hvb2 3mo agoI've always been a bit suspicious of the waterproof claims and their use. My phone is IP68 rated, meaning prolonged submersion (at least 30 minutes) in water of up to 3 meters deep. Why? What's the practical use here. It surely will make maintaining that level of waterproofing hard if you need to open it up...
- dzhiurgis 3mo agoMy kids dropped my phone in pool plenty of times. Works perfectly. I never had a need to replace phone battery myself (and I used to work on my laptops decade ago when it made sense).
- theshrike79 3mo agoThe goal of the law wasn't explicitly user-replaceability, it was device longevity. iPhone batteries are over the required minimum cycle limit + water resistant -> no need to be user-replaceable. Also people still have the notion that "user-replaceable" means that you can just clip off the battery while queueing in the store and snap on a fresh one from your belt holster. That's not what the law states, it just can't require specialist tooling. Screws and glue strips are fine.
- acd 3mo agoI dont agree for environments sake it should be user replaceable batteries even in small electronic devices. Hearing aids has user replaceable batteries
- beej71 3mo agoIt's amazing how easy it is for big companies to get these carve-outs compared to common citizens trying to keep the government from monitoring their activity. Not at all surprising, though.