BRUSSELS: Apple will have to change the connector on its iPhones sold in Europe by 2024 as EU countries and EU lawmakers on Tuesday agreed to a single mobile charging port for mobile phones, tablets and cameras.
The agreement is a world first and came after companies failed to agree on a common solution. The European Commission had pushed for a single mobile charging port more than a decade ago.
Users if iPhones and Android phones have long complained about having to use different chargers for their devices. The former is charged from a Lightning cable while Android-based devices are powered using USB-C connectors.
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Half the chargers sold with mobile phones in 2018 had a USB micro-B connector, while 29% had a USB-C connector and 21% a Lightning connector, according to a 2019 Commission study.
"The deal we struck this morning will bring around 250 million euros ($267 million) of savings to consumers," EU industry chief Thierry Breton said in a statement.
"It will also allow new technologies such as wireless charging to emerge and to mature without letting innovation to become source of market fragmentation and consumer inconvenience," he said.
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"By autumn 2024, USB Type-C will become the common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the EU," the European Parliament said in a statement.
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