Have you noticed that the smartphone which was superfast when bought, starts to give up after 2-3 years? The battery starts to fail, apps begin to hang, and eventually, you get frustrated and buy a new phone. The European Union (EU) believes this is the result of deliberate design (planned obsolescence). In this, the phone is made so inconvenient that the user is forced to buy a new model. The EU is trying to curb this system. Its Joint Research Centre report states that smartphones are replaced every 2-3 years. Do companies deliberately slow down your phone? In 2017, Apple Inc. admitted that it was deliberately slowing down older iPhones. The company called it battery protection, but for customers, it was an undue pressure to upgrade. After this, Apple had to add a battery health indicator, but the real problem remained unchanged. What are the EU’s new rules and how will they increase smartphone life? The European Union will implement strict ‘Ecodesign’ rules from February 2027. After this, companies’ accountability will be determined. The new rules can mainly be divided into four categories. Every smartphone battery will have to maintain 80% of its capacity even after at least 800 charge cycles. This means that even after years of use, the battery backup will not suddenly decrease. Even after a model is discontinued, companies will have to provide spare parts for 7 years. Companies will have to ensure their delivery within 5-10 working days. Just as refrigerators and ACs have star ratings, phones will have a ‘Repair Rating’ (A to E), allowing customers to know how easy it is to fix the phone if it breaks down. It will now be mandatory for smartphone companies to provide software updates for at least 5 years, so that older phones do not fall behind in terms of security and features. Why has it become so difficult for smartphone customers to replace batteries or repair phones? Companies adopted a sealed design in the name of thinner phones, better waterproofing, and easier manufacturing. This gave companies complete control over repairs. In iPhones, if the battery is replaced by an unauthorized shop, the phone starts showing warnings and some features are disabled. When some Pixel models faced battery swelling issues, charging was limited via a software update, and replacements were offered. What do these strict rules mean for Indians? These rules are for Europe, but smartphone companies do not design different hardware for different countries. Therefore, Indian customers will also benefit from the changes in Europe. Are there still some flaws even after the new rules came into effect in EU countries? The ‘Corrective Act’ will provide the facility to change screens, but users will not be able to change them themselves. Technologies like ‘part pairing’ can still hinder third-party repairs. The Real Question – Who has the right to decide the life of a phone? This debate is not about the battery or the screen, but about control. Until now, companies decided when your phone would be ‘dead’. For example, when software support would end, when repairs would become difficult. EU rules are an attempt to give this power back to the consumer. If successful, customers will have a say to some extent in this market.
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