From 2026, also applies to iPhones
Uniform charging cables will soon be mandatory
April 26, 2024, 12:22 p.m
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The charging socket can still differ from device to device. But soon all cell phones, tablets or cameras in Germany will have to be equipped with a USB-C port. The underlying EU directive is also intended to relieve people’s financial burden.
Uniform charging cables for all cell phones, tablets and game consoles will also be mandatory in Germany at the end of the year. The Federal Council has approved changes to the Radio Equipment Act, thereby clearing the way for this standardization. Germany is thus implementing an EU directive.
USB-C will become the standard for charging smartphones, digital cameras, headphones, e-readers or navigation devices at the end of the year. From 2026, the requirement will also apply to laptops. This technical standardization is intended to relieve people’s financial burden and at the same time avoid unnecessary electronic waste. Devices can now also be sold without a new power supply.
The Bundestag had already created the necessary foundations at the end of March. “It makes everyday life easier for consumers, and it is also good for the environment,” said the chairwoman of the parliamentary digital committee, Tabea Rößner from the Greens. The law was passed by the Bundestag without any dissenting votes.
The CDU, CSU and AfD also voted for the new regulation. The left abstained. Your MP Ralph Lenkert complained about a “back door” in the law, which requires manufacturers to use uniform charging cables, but allows variations in charging power and charging software. “So the competition has only been shifted from the plug to the software – and that is not enough.”