Apple Company to Switch to USB-C-equipped iPhones
Following a directive issued by European Union regulators on smartphones to have USB charging as standard within two years, Apple has confirmed that the next release of the iPhone series will include a USB-C port.
Leah Mukangai 
New EU regulations require all phones sold after the autumn of 2024 to have USB-C charging ports.
Apple’s head of marketing, Greg Joswiak, stated that the company was conceding defeat.
“Obviously we’ll have to comply, we have no choice. It would have been better environmentally and better for our customers to not have a government be that prescriptive” Greg stated.
Given the company's annual iPhone release schedule, it is likely that either the iPhone 15, due in September 2023 or its follow-up, due in September 2024, will be the first to include the connector.
iPhone 15 with an Ultra titanium design. PHOTO FILE
The release of the iPhones has been seen on the trend as below following the years.
- iPhone 14: September 16, 2022
- iPhone 13: September 24, 2021
- iPhone 12: October 23, 2020
- iPhone 11: September 20, 2019
- iPhone XS: September 21, 2018
Apple has slowly been adding USB-C ports to its Mac computers and iPad tablets.
The European Council approved the common charger directive, which makes USB-C the standard charging cable across the EU. The law will require the signatures of the presidents of the European Parliament and the Council before it is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, making it enforceable within 24 months.
The common charger directive was ten years in the making and was intended to reduce electronic waste. In addition to phones, USB-C will be the standard charging connector for tablets, digital cameras, headphones, handheld consoles, and the majority of other small devices. In 2026, laptops will also be required to use the cable.
