We all know that Apple’s Lightning chargers have become the bane of creatives’ lives. The pesky cords only work on Apple products and so it means that for a lot of us, we have to carry a bag full of wires around to make sure we never lose juice. But the EU is putting its foot down. 

The European Union has passed a rule that all smartphones will have to sport a universal charging port. The ruling will require all smartphones in the EU to have a USB-C charging port, meaning that we can finally bid farewell to the lightning charger (if you’re an Apple user and need to restock on the latest tech, then make sure you check out our roundup of the best Apple deals).

European Commission vice president Margrethe Vestager has said that the new rule has been put in place to reduce waste from technology. According to an official release, devices like mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, cameras, headphones, handheld games consoles, speakers and headsets will all have to sport the USB-C charging port, allowing cables to be more readily interchanged.

The European Parliament said in a statement that, “by autumn 2024, USB Type-C will become the common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the EU.” That will apparently save consumers up to €250 million. EU industry chief Thierry Breton has also explained that the move will, “allow new technologies such as wireless charging to emerge and to mature without letting innovation become a source of market fragmentation and consumer inconvenience”. 

Conveniently, at the same time as the EU parliament announces the Lightning ban, Apple has just announced its brand new 35W power adapter with dual USB-C ports (see above). The adapters have the ability to charge two devices at once whether that’s two iPhones or your iPad and your MacBook. According to Mac Rumours, the charger will be packed in with the new MacBook Air, and we can see how this now might cause trouble for Apple when distributing to the EU in the upcoming years. 

While we may miss the exclusivity of the Lightning charger, we certainly won’t miss those days where there’s only 1% battery left on your phone and all your friends have android chargers. If you’ve got an Apple charger, then now might be the right time to upgrade to a wireless charger. You can find all the best wireless chargers over on our roundup of the best iPhone chargers.

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