From June 20: EU gives smartphones a label and a guaranteed update time

The EU has been working for years to make smartphones and other products more sustainable. The switch to a standardized charging plug in the form of USB-C is just one of the other plans. June 20, 2025, is another important date, as this is when the Ecodesign Regulation comes into force.

The Ecodesign Regulation includes two points: Firstly, the EU is thereby imposing a fairly clearly defined update guarantee on smartphone manufacturers for their products. Secondly, smartphones and the like must be accompanied by an energy label, similar to refrigerators or washing machines. However, the label also contains all kinds of other relevant information.

EU obliges manufacturers to provide updates for 5 years after the end of sale

While some manufacturers have been rather neglectful with updates in the smartphone sector so far and some products have only received one operating system update, this will change from June 20. From this date, manufacturers will have to provide operating system and security updates for every smartphone or tablet for five years after the end of sales.

The requirement, which will soon apply throughout the EU, does not quite come close to the seven-year update guarantee offered by Samsung and Google. However, it will give consumers certainty about how long they can safely use their devices. The regulation is also likely to have an impact on software updates outside the EU.

Five years is not enough for consumer advocates and repair experts: they would like up to ten years to give them a long, second life, as Daniel Büchle, Managing Director of IT remanufacturer AfB, explained to c't.

“Instruction leaflet” on reparability and other key data for smartphones and other products

Another component of the Ecodesign Regulation, which comes into force in June, is the “instruction leaflet” that must accompany certain devices.

According to the EU, the labels must be included in the packaging of cordless phones for landlines, smartphones, feature phones and tablets with screens between seven and 17.4 inches. Devices with rollable screens are excluded, as are smartphones and tablets that were available on the EU market before June 20. Smartphones for high-security communication are also an exception.

The new label contains information on the lifespan, robustness of the device, battery efficiency and also repairability. To meet the requirements, manufacturers must fulfill certain criteria: Batteries must, for example, survive a service life of at least 800 complete charge/discharge cycles with 80 percent capacity retention, as well as being resistant to accidental dropping, dust and water.

What the EU has ignored: The repairability class does not consider the price of spare parts. This means that manufacturers such as Samsung or Apple can continue to charge high prices for a display and still receive good marks.

They must also ensure that spare parts are available for up to seven years after the product has been sold, offer at least five years of software support and provide professional technicians with non-discriminatory access to repair software.

The information on the devices must be supplied by the respective manufacturer, importers or authorized representatives operating on the EU market. The product models must also be registered on an EPREL platform managed by the European Commission. While manufacturers are responsible for providing correct data, the Commission also checks information on protection against ingress of water and dust, as well as the repairability and battery performance of the devices.

For consumers, this information and requirements from the EU mean more transparency about the devices on the market. However, the higher requirements for smartphones and tablets could increase prices. Particularly inexpensive products could possibly no longer be offered in the EU due to the long update obligation because they are no longer profitable for manufacturers.

(afl)