iPhone 15 will not be sold in the EU if it fails to meet common charger requirements

If you are a tech enthusiast, the Apple ecosystem needs no introduction. For the longest of times, it has been the pride and power of the Cupertino company. However, in recent years, Apple has been heavily criticized for its anti-competitive behavior, especially when it comes to its proprietary Lightning connector.

The battle with EU legislators has been so fierce that the company has agreed to abandon its Lighting connector and finally transition to USB-C with the iPhone 15. But Apple (being typical Apple) is looking for ways to circumvent the legislation requirements. Luckily, it seems the tech giant will not get away with it.

According to an article originally published by Die Zeit and subsequently covered by AppleInsider, devices that do not meet the common charger requirements “will not be allowed on the EU market”. The quote comes directly from Thierry Breton, a senior Brussels official.

Essentially, the EU Commission is directly telling Apple that if the company goes ahead with its plan of limiting the functionality of the USB-C port of the iPhone 15, the device will be banned from one of the largest markets in the world.

For reference, a number of rumors have indicated that the Cupertino company is exploring ways of restricting certain USB-C features to be accessible only when a proprietary Apple cable is being used. Needless to say, this defeats the purpose of a common charging port in the first place.

This is not the only time Apple’s business strategy has come under fire in the European Union. The next iteration of iOS will introduce sideloading for the first time, so as to ensure the software complies with legislation requiring the implementation support for third-party app stores.

There is a small caveat, however. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, only iPhones sold in the EU will receive the new feature. Perhaps Apple will adopt a similar approach with the USB-C port. The question is will Americans put up with receiving inferior devices than their European counterparts?