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If you've ever watched a perfectly good, not to mention expensive, smartphone become unusable simply because the battery wore out and couldn't be replaced without a specialist taking it apart, that's about to become a thing of the past across the EU.

 

From 2027, any smartphone sold in EU member states will have to come with a battery that the user can replace themselves. That means manufacturers will no longer be able to seal batteries inside devices in a way that makes home replacement impossible, a design approach that has effectively forced millions of people to buy new phones far sooner than they needed to.

 

The new rules also require smartphone batteries to be longer lasting, capable of withstanding more charge cycles before losing capacity.

 

On top of that, brands will be required to guarantee access to spare parts for extended periods and provide software updates for a guaranteed minimum length of time, tackling the other common way phones become obsolete, being cut off from updates and left incompatible with new apps and services.

 

This is all part of a huge push by Brussels to reduce the mountain of electronic waste generated across Europe every year, similar to how they’re tackling plastic waste.

 

Since 2021, EU rules have already required manufacturers of phones, TVs, washing machines and other appliances to ensure their products can be repaired for up to ten years, with spare parts and repair manuals available throughout that period. Last year, energy labels were introduced for electronic devices showing how efficient, durable and repairable a product is before you buy it.

 

The 2027 smartphone battery rules are the latest step in that direction, and manufacturers have until then to redesign their production processes to comply.

 

Brussels has been clear that repairing a device rather than replacing it reduces costs for consumers and cuts down on the raw materials needed to manufacture new products, both of which sit squarely within the goals of the European Green Deal.