EU adds exemptions to its removable battery rule for smartwatches, fitness trackers, ear buds
Back in 2022, the EU prepared new legislation that will bring back user-replaceable batteries on electronic devices. This will go into effect in February 2027, but some companies are already making the jump – for example, Nintendo released a special Switch 2 with a replaceable battery.
But what about devices where having a replaceable battery might affect features such as water resistance? Well, the EU just added several exemptions just for such cases.
An important category is the so-called “wet appliances”. These include: “wearable devices, such as wireless earbuds, heart rate monitor straps, smart glasses or watches, intended to be worn on the head, wrist, chest or hand or outdoor wireless speakers.”
Several categories of devices are now exempt from EU’s replaceable battery requirements
Wet appliances are ones designed to work primarily in an environment where they are likely to be splashed by water or be submerged in water or that are intended to be washable. That obviously includes things like electric toothbrushes, but may be less obvious when it comes to outdoor wireless speakers.
It should be more clear cut for tiny devices as wearables may be exempt “based on considerations related to miniaturisation.” This is intended for designs that are so small and their internals are so tightly packed that there is a real danger of the user damaging the battery while trying to remove it – and you don’t want to see a lithium battery on fire. In such cases, the batteries should only be replaceable by professionals.
The European Commission writes that it may add future exemptions for new device categories based on “market developments and technical and scientific progress.” You can read the whole document here (PDF).
It’s important to note that “user-replaceable batteries” doesn’t mean that the user should be able to swap the battery without tools (like it used to be in older phones). However, replacing the battery should be doable with basic tools, e.g. a screwdriver and a pry tool.
Also, there is an exemption for phones – the phone should be rated at least IP67 and the battery should retain at least 83% of its original capacity after 500 charge cycles or at least 80% after 1,000 cycles. For such phones, the battery may be replaceable only by professionals. This covers most modern flagships and plenty of mid-rangers, so we’ll see how the new regulations shake out next year.
