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Tech Tonic | No, the EU doesn’t require phones to have removable batteries
The EU’s Ecodesign requirements do not mandate removable phone batteries. They aim to improve repairability by ensuring replacement parts are available to professional repairers and end-users for at least seven years after a product’s end-of-market date, with applicability beginning in summer 2025. The article also notes rumors on social media misinterpreting the regulation and explains potential implications for device durability and cost.
Why It Matters
If the rules affect part availability and open-chassis design, they could influence repairability, pricing of parts, and how manufacturers balance durability with openness.
Timeline
3 Events
April 20, 2026: Article clarifies rumors about removable batteries
April 20, 2026
The article notes social media rumors claiming the EU would require phones to be sold with user-replaceable batteries by 2027, but states this is not the case. It explains the actual Ecodesign requirements—such as the seven-year replacement-parts rule—and discusses potential impacts on repairability, durability, and cost.
Ecodesign requirements applicable from summer 2025
June 2025
The rules became applicable from the summer of 2025. They require that replacement parts be available to professional repairers and end-users for at least seven years after a product’s end-of-placement date, and they will influence considerations around water and dust resistance and openability of the chassis.
Ecodesign requirements first notified (June 2023)
June 2023
The Ecodesign requirements were first notified in June 2023. They include measures to make replacement parts (battery packs, back covers or assemblies, display assemblies, chargers, and SIM/memory-card trays, among others) available to professional repairers and end-users for at least seven years after a product’s date of end-of-placement on the market.