Apple’s three iPhones with Lightning connectors will be removed from sale in the EU in a matter of days, a new report explains. This is to comply with an EU regulation which comes into force at the end of the year. Although it’s been a long time coming, it’s still something of a surprise. Here’s why.
The EU decided in 2022 that all phones and some other gadgets sold in its 27 countries must have a USB-C port, in an attempt to reduce electronic waste. Apple had fought against this change when it was proposed, but in 2023 release the iPhone 15 with a USB-C connector, and gradually moved all its iPads to USB-C as well.
The regulation stated that it would apply by the end of this year, 2024. So, Apple will remove its three Lightning-connector iPhones, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone SE 3rd generation from sale in all 27 EU countries from Saturday, Dec. 28, according to a report spotted by MacRumors.
“The iPhone SE and iPhone 14 and 14 Plus will disappear from Apple Stores in European Union countries, these models are the last to have been equipped with a Lightning port,” a new report from the French website iGeneration says (that’s a machine-translated version). Other resellers are thought to be able to continue to sell the iPhones until their inventory is sold.
In addition, Switzerland will stop selling the three affected iPhones, perhaps even sooner. The report says these could disappear from sale as soon as next Friday, Dec. 20. Though Switzerland is not in the EU it is aligned with the EU in many laws.
The 29th country affected is Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K. Though the U.K. left the EU four years ago, Northern Ireland has different rules, in order to keep the open border across the island of Ireland.
So, why a surprise? At the time the directive was introduced, I asked Apple if it would mean the removal of all existing Lightning-connector iPhones or did it only apply to new models. I was told several times that this was up for discussion.
If the report is correct—and please check back to hear more as details are confirmed or updated—then customers in those countries only have a matter of days to snag one of the affected iPhones from Apple Stores.
