The European Commission has clarified its position on mandatory USB-C charging for portable devices.
The law does allow for devices to ditch wired charging entirely, as long as it supports a wireless option.
USB-C charging could face the sack from some manufacturers, just a few months after an EU ruling made it mandatory for phones and other portable devices to adopt it.
That's because the European Parliament has clarified its legislation, revealing that it only applies to devices when charged by wire. If a gadget has wireless charging capabilities, it is allowed to ship in EU member states without a USB-C port.
This news could have a direct impact on the likes of Apple and Samsung, who are each expected to unveil thinner phones this year in the guise of the (rumoured) iPhone 17 Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.
While those handsets are still likely to come with USB-C charging, successive iterations could ditch wired power entirely. Indeed, Apple was reportedly looking to do so for its superslim iPhone coming later this year, but allegedly opted against it in case it fell foul of EU rules.
That's turned out not to be the case. 9to5mac contacted the EU to clarify the guidelines and European Commission press officer Federica Miccoli told the site that a port-less product would not be in breach of the legistlation: "Since, such radio equipment cannot be recharged via wired charging, it does not need to incorporate the harmonised (wired) charging solution," she said.
This could change device design going forward, with other phone makers undoubtedly keeping a close eye on proceedings.
Third-party accessory manufacturers could stand to benefit too, with wireless charging stands becoming vital for any port-less iPhones or Android devices that might appear.
There is one caveat though, the European Commission retains the right to legislate against wireless charging if companies attempt to fragment that market (as with USB-C, Lightning, Micro USB beforehand): "The Commission will monitor the evolution of all types of wireless charging technologies (not only inductive), particularly market developments, market penetration, market fragmentation, technological performance, interoperability, energy efficiency and charging performance," continued Miccoli.
Still, it's paved the way for a wire-free future – certainly where European phone sales are concerned. And now we've all stocked up on USB-C cables, we might have to find a larger drawer to stash them in alongside the Lightning leads we've already hoarded in the past.
