European Union Has Set  28  December 2024 As Deadline For Universal Phone Chargers

The European Union has set a deadline of December 28, 2024, for phone manufacturers to adopt a standard charging cable.

The EU already agreed that new portable electronic devices must utilise a USB Type-C charger by the autumn of 2024. The law has now been published in the EU's Official Journal, and an exact date for the requirement has been set.

Apple, whose iPhones use an Apple-made charger, will not be able to sell new devices in the EU after the deadline unless they use a universal cable.

Apple is the most prominent company to employ a customized charging port that is exclusive to several of its products. Its iPhone series, for example, uses its own Lightning connector.

.Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak, previously told the Wall Street Journal that the company will "obviously" comply with the law.

According to the EU, the new law would apply to "small and medium-sized portable electronics," such as phones, tablets, headphones, and handheld game consoles.

The EU deadline has added to the Brexit angst, as EU regulations may also apply to Northern Ireland, according to EU and UK officials.

"new requirements may also apply to devices sold in Northern Ireland under the terms of the Northern Ireland protocol in the Brexit agreement, potentially triggering divergence of product standards with the rest of the UK". according to a December 2021 parliamentary report.

The treaty works by maintaining Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods while leaving the rest of the UK out. The UK and EU are still in conflict over how to reform the Northern Ireland protocol.