© 2025 WGCU News
PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The European Union Wants A Universal Charger For Cellphones And Other Devices

An employee works on smartphones reconditioning in France in January.
Loic Venance
/
AFP via Getty Images
An employee works on smartphones reconditioning in France in January.

If you live in the European Union, your days of futzing around with a handful of chargers to find one that fits your latest gadget may be numbered.

Under a proposal released Thursday by the E.U., there would be one universal charger for all cellphones and other handheld electronic devices — no matter whether you had an iPhone or Kindle or anything else.

"European consumers were frustrated long enough about incompatible chargers piling up in their drawers," Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president of A Europe Fit for the Digital Age, said in a statement.

"We gave industry plenty of time to come up with their own solutions, now time is ripe for legislative action for a common charger," she added.

Apple has spoken out against the move. "We remain concerned that strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world," the company said in a statement.

Under the proposal, USB-C would become the standard charging port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld video game consoles.

The commission also wants to "unbundle" the sale of chargers with their electronic devices, in part to cut down on environmental waste, and standardize charging speeds.

If the European Parliament and the European Council adopt the proposal, it would take full effect after a 24-month transition period to give the technology industry time to prepare for the change. Apple says it is concerned about the proposed length of the transition.

According to the EU, 38% of consumers reported struggling at least once to charge their cellphones because they couldn't find a compatible charger.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Joe Hernandez
[Copyright 2024 NPR]
Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU
  • March Madness has come early to Florida Gulf Coast University, as anticipation builds for the return of the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Team.
  • Florida is the land of sunshine and good vibes, but when the sun goes down on Downtown Fort Myers, something ghastly takes over. The waterside community is home to spiritual abnormalities that have caused spine-tingling reactions for decades.WGCU’s Samuel Brucker took part in a Historic Downtown Tour to learn the horrific stories that have turned into urban legend and have given a taste of the macabre to Southwest Florida.
  • Adult Thorn Bugs are half-inch long insects that are “true bugs” (members of the insect Family Membracidae). They are native to South America, Central America, and many tropical islands. As with other members of this family, Thorn Bugs have sucking mouthparts that allow them to pierce plant tissues and drink plant sap. As a result, Thorn Bugs can cause the death of some twigs and potentially introduce diseases to the plant. However, in most cases, Thorn Bug populations are very low and damage caused by thorn bugs is minimal. The good news is that these insects do not feed on most native North American trees. Thorn bugs are an exotic invasive species in Florida that was likely introduced long ago along with an exotic tree species such as the Earleaf Acacia.Even today these insects feed primarily on exotic invasive trees and shrubs imported from tropical areas.