Regulators in the European Union are considering important developments regarding the security and durability of mobile phones , with minimum update requirements for smartphones. Within them would be the minimum 5 years of updates on all mobiles, even the cheapest, although it is only a proposal and for now there is nothing confirmed.
The European Union wants certain guarantees to be met so that mobile phones last longer without having to change them for new ones unnecessarily, which is key at the moment to reduce economic waste and the carbon footprint, which is one of its main challenges at the moment.
More years of updates for all mobiles
To achieve this, they intend to comply with the 5 years of security and 3 years of operating system updates in all mobiles, both high-end and mid-range and entry-level, in all brands whose mobiles are distributed in Europe. In addition to the minimum security and operating system updates, they request that these reach users with a maximum of 2 months after their public release .
The requirements for smartphones sold in the region will be increasingly higher, if the EU requests are met. This would change the way Android OEMs handle support for their devices and could be a major challenge for them.
Despite the fact that Google and Samsung promise 5 years of security updates on their mobiles, not all devices have these benefits. Also, Samsung releases 4 major Android updates for its premium devices, not for others, although other brands offer less on their smartphones.
The rules of the game could change if the regulation proposed by the European Union is carried out. And one of the most important novelties is that all mobiles would receive these updates , even low-cost ones. It must be remembered that cheaper mobiles have fewer updates than high-end ones, some even do not receive any important news during their entire useful life.
Should not affect battery or performance
It is interesting to note that this draft regulation also includes the request that the battery capacity of mobile phones does not deteriorate after an update of the operating system software or a firmware update when measured with the same test standard used originally for the declaration of conformity.
They also expect no performance change if the update is declined , except for third-party application software.
All spare parts for at least 5 years
Another important novelty in the regulation is that phone manufacturers must provide spare parts for their models for a minimum period of 5 years from when the mobile goes on sale for the first time. This includes screens, cameras, batteries, charging ports, and more, which must be available for at least this period of time.
This is especially important insofar as, as the draft itself confirms, devices are often replaced prematurely and at the end of their useful life they are not sufficiently reused or recycled , thus wasting resources. All these changes could increase its life from 2 to 3 to about 5 years, something very important today.
In addition, batteries must be capable of a minimum of 500 full charges without deteriorating below 83% of this.
It already happened with the USB-C cable
With regard to mobile devices, although this is only a draft and we do not know if it will finally be carried out , Europe continues to lead on important regulations. A law was recently passed requiring all smartphones to have USB-C charging by 2024.
This will be a big change in the market, especially since iPhone is bound to use this charging port in the future. They currently use Lightning connector, so they should be working on changing it. This measure benefits consumers in that they will not have to buy a new charging cable and charger every time they buy a new mobile phone, unless the charging speed varies and it is considered necessary to improve fast charging.
Therefore, it is very possible that these improvements, or some of them, will be implemented and totally change the mobile device market in Europe. For now, comments on the project are being collected and some proposals could enter into force at the end of the year , with an adaptation period of 12 months after their approval. Products that do not meet approved sustainability requirements will, according to a senior EU official, be banned from the market.
However, it is not something that is fully confirmed or official , but they do want to carry it out from the EU and if they succeeded with the loading port, we do not rule out that they succeed!