Finally, All Phone Chargers Will Be The Same (In The EU)

Making cables stable.

Picture this - your phone’s on its last legs, and you ask if anyone’s got a charger.

“What kind?” they say. Oof. Suddenly there’s a mad scramble, looking for the specific charger shape that fits your phone.

Well, Europeans won’t need to worry about that anymore.

The European Union has signed a new law that will require all portable devices to have the same type of charging cable.

From 2024, all phones, including iPhones and Android devices will have to be compatible with USB-C chargers, and laptops will have to be compatible by 2026.

It’s the first law of its kind in the world and passed the EU parliament with a huge majority.

602 members of the EU parliament voted in favour of the law, with only 13 voting against.

The EU has estimated the adoption of a single charger could save European consumers 250 million euros ($380 million AUD).

Although the law will only apply to the 27 member states of the EU, it’s possible the law could mean worldwide changes.

With a population of nearly 500 million, the EU is one of the world’s largest tech markets.

Approximately 150 million Europeans own an iPhone, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Apple made the change globally, rather than manufacturing different iPhones and other devices for the European market.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we all shared a charger?