Starting today, the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and third-generation iPhone SE have been removed from Apple’s online store in most European Union countries.
This is due to a regulation that requires smartphones with wired charging capabilities that are newly placed for sale to be equipped with a USB-C port in the European Union (EU). In 2022, the European Parliament voted in favor of enforcing USB-C as a common charging port across a range of consumer electronic devices, including the iPhone, by the end of 2024.
Starting spring 2026, this will also apply to laptops. Here are details from a press release by the European Parliament at the time:
Under the new rules, consumers will no longer need a different charger every time they purchase a new device, as they will be able to use one single charger for a whole range of small and medium-sized portable electronic devices.
Regardless of their manufacturer, all new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, earbuds and laptops that are rechargeable via a wired cable, operating with a power delivery of up to 100 Watts, will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C port.
All devices that support fast charging will now have the same charging speed, allowing users to charge their devices at the same speed with any compatible charger.
