Earlier this year, the EU made it a mandate for all smartphone manufacturers to use a common charger for all applicable products.

And now we have a date, where in Apple has to make the switch by December 28, 2024. Any device manufactured after that date that wishes to sell in Europe must use the USB-C standard.

The iPhone 15 series, is expected to be released in September 2023. Which will most likely be the first to lack Lightning ports. And by the end of 2024, we should also have the iPhone 16 series and possibly a new iPhone SE with USB-C ports.

If Apple wants to delay the Lightning port even longer, it would have to do so no later than December 2024.

The EU hopes that this law will compel manufacturers to be more environmentally conscious. If every device uses the same connector, people will no longer need to discard cable accessories when upgrading devices.