Sunday, September 4th 2022
The EU Proposes New Mobile Device Regulation to Extend Product Life Time
Around 20 years ago, most people replaced their phones on a yearly basis in some countries, largely due to the fact that if you signed the right mobile service contract, you got a free phone. These days, it's not nearly as common to get a free device with your service, but then again, mobile service contracts also tend to cost much less these days in many countries. As such, people retain their devices longer, which has put the device upgrade cycle somewhere around the two or three year mark. Now the EU is proposing new regulations that will force the mobile device makers to re-think the current status quo, as the European Commission regulators are considering asking mobile device makers to offer not just better battery life, but also spare part availability for as long as five years after a device was launched.
When it comes to battery life, the EU Commission is intending to offer the device manufacturers two options. The first is that they'll have to offer batteries that can deliver 83 percent of their rated capacity after 500 charging cycles, followed by 80 percent capacity after 1000 charging cycles. Alternatively, they can offer replacement batteries and phone back covers to its end-user customers, so they can replace their batteries once the batteries no longer hold charge that meets the owners expectations.
The spare parts program is tied to "professional repairers" which suggests that third party repair shops will be on the table. The manufacturers will have to provide key parts, such as batteries, displays, cameras, charging ports, mechanical buttons, microphones, speakers and hinge assemblies for a period of at least five years. End consumers should also be given access to replacement displays, as well as SIM and memory card trays, microphones, charging ports and hinge mechanisms, for a time period of at least seven years from the last marketing day of the device. This suggests that phone parts could be available for some eight to nine years after a new model has been introduced.
Furthermore, the EU Commission is proposing at least five years of security updates and three years of "functionality updates". However, these updates should be seen as an extension to the current OS updates and security patches, which should see most phone makers having to offer updates well beyond the two or three years we're seeing from most Android device makers today. The EU is currently collecting feedback on its proposal and anyone can submit comments until the 28th of September. If the EU Commission decides to go ahead with the proposal, it's not expected to be approved until sometime in the fourth quarter of this year and it's unlikely to be written into law until the end of 2023.
Sources:
the EU Commission, via Arstechnica
When it comes to battery life, the EU Commission is intending to offer the device manufacturers two options. The first is that they'll have to offer batteries that can deliver 83 percent of their rated capacity after 500 charging cycles, followed by 80 percent capacity after 1000 charging cycles. Alternatively, they can offer replacement batteries and phone back covers to its end-user customers, so they can replace their batteries once the batteries no longer hold charge that meets the owners expectations.
Furthermore, the EU Commission is proposing at least five years of security updates and three years of "functionality updates". However, these updates should be seen as an extension to the current OS updates and security patches, which should see most phone makers having to offer updates well beyond the two or three years we're seeing from most Android device makers today. The EU is currently collecting feedback on its proposal and anyone can submit comments until the 28th of September. If the EU Commission decides to go ahead with the proposal, it's not expected to be approved until sometime in the fourth quarter of this year and it's unlikely to be written into law until the end of 2023.
82 Comments on The EU Proposes New Mobile Device Regulation to Extend Product Life Time
I would prefer a battery with higher energy density = longer battery life = less number of charges = +durability
See no reason to change it whilst it's working.
While Microsoft is often called out for support they do enable at least five years of support and in general can be made to work on any generation hardware for 5/10 year's.
I approve EU, but I am no longer European cause of fools so in all likelihood this will mean little to me unfortunately.
Batteries show age pretty fast
Your lucky if it works well after two years so yeah batteries need better tech.
Solar batteries to.
The reality is that some of the nastiest materials used in the construction of mobile devices are in fact in the batteries and these are the parts that they want to make easily replaceable. How many more people will actively replace their batteries early on in their devices life because of something like 80% of the battery's life is over because it was made easier and cheaper? While it has good intentions, I'm reluctant to believe that it will actually result in a tangible benefit when it comes to hazardous waste. It would be better to invest in recycling these devices than making them easier to repair over a longer period of time.
I don't know. I'm just incredibly skeptical that it'll pan out the way that they'd think.
Don't see software support as a big deal. I'll probably keep it till it physically wears out.Phones are addictive and there can be some seriously negative effects on people from using certain apps or using them too much.
Wouldn't surprise me if age limits come in for them eventually like for cigarettes and alcohol.
I recently took my pixel 4 to Newquay, Mawgan Porth beach for a week, and with little to no reception it's absolutely f£#@n amazing how long it lasts, days.
Is it the battery, is it your obsessive doom scrolling, or is it all these f£#@&g Applications continuously checking in every 10ms.
Not aiming this at you personally just raising for consideration.
@Aquinus the battery tech can be advanced while maintaining 5 year support, possibly entice loyalty if companies improve battery life in spares.
A power source is a power source the magic before the on button matters little.
Yeah I had to turn off a lot of stuff blue tooth/... and even battery optimization for the battery to act decent on my iphone se.
It's not like we would ban new phones, just have better options.
Plus battery tech is advancing about as fase as combustion engine tech, IE barely.
So to me a moot point.
Li-S, For example:
"Li–S batteries offer specific energies on the order of 550 WH/kg while lithium-ion batteries are in the range of 150–260 Wh/kg."
With that density, you would have a battery of 10000Mha of weight and volume similar to current technology. Unfortunately, these things never seem to become commercially viable.
It's not just our phones. The Matrix quote above nails it.
And it's not just a thought experiment - ditch your car, your phone, your laptop, your electricity and live like that for the rest of your life. Then and only then I'll will agree your are not in control of machines. Only not! Other will still continue using machines (weapons incl.) and then again machines will have control over you, one way or another.