EU approves plan requiring companies to make devices compatible with USB-C charger
BOSTON – Android and Apple phones may soon use the same charger. The European Union approved a plan which would force all companies including Apple to make mobile devices compatible with the USB-C charger by the fall of 2024. Companies will have a little more time to convert laptops.
CNET editor-at-large Ian Scherr said the goal is to reduce waste.
"A lot of this is really about making sure there is control on the amount of e-waste we create," said CNET editor-at-large Ian Scherr. "It's really stunning actually how much waste we create. We are talking about enough to pile up to the Empire State Building multiple times over."
The European parliament and 27 EU countries still need to sign off.
"The EU has really been on the forefront of a lot of these things, requiring that device makers have a standardized type of plug so that at least you and me consumers, don't have to keep buying different charging cables for every device we own," Scherr said.
While there's no sign the U.S. plans to adopt a similar requirement, Scherr said it's unlikely companies will manufacture new products with different charging ports in different countries.