{"id":534684,"date":"2026-07-10T13:13:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/534684\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T13:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:13:09","slug":"why-iphone-wont-have-removable-batteries-in-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/534684\/","title":{"rendered":"Why iPhone won’t have removable batteries in 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite what you might have seen on the internet, iPhones<\/a> sold in the European Union will not have a removable back panel for easy battery replacement, and they probably never will. Here’s why. <\/p>\n

You’ve probably seen AI TikTok slop and random Reddit posts<\/a> that claim the EU will force Apple to bring user-replaceable batteries to the iPhone in 2027. But in what should be a surprise to nobody, they’re all wrong. <\/p>\n

But like so much viral-yet-false information, there’s a kernel of truth to it. The EU does have new iPhone battery legislation that comes into effect in 2027. Apple already meets the requirements. <\/p>\n

Apple has a history of going to battle with the EU, and it’s currently arguing over whether it can launch Siri<\/a> AI in that part of the world. But in this case, the EU has given it an easy out. <\/p>\n

To understand how this new regulation doesn’t apply to the iPhone, we first need to understand what the regulation actually says. <\/p>\n

Say hello to the snappily-named Commission Regulation (EU) 2023\/1670, Annex II, Part A and B, Section 1.1(1)(c)(ii). <\/p>\n

The new requirements<\/p>\n

Commission Regulation (EU) 2023\/1670 specifically<\/a> applies to smartphones, mobile phones, cordless phones, and slate tablets. At first blush, that should also include the iPhone. <\/p>\n

Boiled down to the bit that we’re interested in, the regulation requires that a battery be readily removable and replaceable. The battery and the smartphone must be designed in such a way that a device owner can replace the battery when required. <\/p>\n

Further, no specialized tools can be required, and the process must be straightforward enough for an average adult consumer to do it. <\/p>\n

With all of that said, you could easily assume that Apple has a problem and a redesigned iPhone will come to EU countries in 2027. <\/p>\n

But dig a little deeper, and it’s clear that isn’t the case. <\/p>\n

The exemption clause<\/p>\n

The same regulation has a clause that specifically applies to iPhones and other premium devices from the likes of Samsung, Google, etc. Welcome to the world of Annex II, Part B, Section 1.1(1)(c)(ii). <\/p>\n

\"iPhone<\/a><\/p>\n

Users can replace batteries that are no longer performing correctly.<\/p>\n

The clause allows smartphone makers to restrict battery access in ways that would normally not be permitted. But the clause only applies to devices that meet three criteria: <\/p>\n

Battery Longevity (after 500 cycles): The battery must retain at least 83% of its rated capacity after 500 full charge cycles.Battery Longevity (after 1,000 cycles): The battery must retain at least 80% of its rated capacity after 1,000 full charge cycles.Ingress Protection: The device must achieve a minimum IP67 rating for dust and water resistance.<\/p>\n

If those three criteria are met, a smartphone becomes exempt from the new battery regulation. <\/p>\n

All of Apple’s modern iPhones do meet or exceed those criteria. As a result, iPhones won’t be affected by the new battery legislation. <\/p>\n

Of course, if your iPhone’s battery does need to be replaced, you can visit an Apple Store. Alternatively, Apple’s Self Repair Program<\/a> already allows iPhone owners to replace batteries at home. <\/p>\n

Why people are talking about this right now<\/p>\n

While the 2027 battery regulations aren’t fresh news, they’re back in the news right now. And you can thank Nintendo for that. <\/p>\n

Nintendo has confirmed that it will sell a revised version of its Switch 2 console in the EU that meets the new requirements. It’ll have a user-replaceable battery. <\/p>\n

The reality is that the Switch 2 falls under completely different regulations from those that apply to an iPhone. The Switch 2 isn’t a phone or a tablet, so it falls under the EU Batteries Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023\/1542). That regulation has no clauses for Nintendo to use, so it must comply. <\/p>\n

And, it has no water resistance at all, so that’s right out too. <\/p>\n

The issues to come<\/p>\n

While Nintendo has the money and manufacturing capabilities to make a special version of the Switch 2 just for the EU, not all companies do. That’s where the regulation may have some casualties. <\/p>\n

Smaller smartphone and tablet makers could find that it simply doesn’t make sense for them to re-engineer their devices for sale in the EU. They’ll likely pull those products from sale entirely, limiting the options available to customers. <\/p>\n

However, this is likely to be a short-term problem. Future smartphones and tablets can be designed from the ground up with the battery legislation in mind. <\/p>\n

Whether that results in companies also bringing the same user-replaceable batteries to the United States remains to be seen. Nintendo has chosen not to, at least for now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Despite what you might have seen on the internet, iPhones sold in the European Union will not have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":534685,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[85,46,125],"class_list":["post-534684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=534684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/534685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=534684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=534684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=534684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}