Overview
- The Commission adopted a delegated act that adds six product categories — including smartwatches, fitness trackers and other water‑resistant “wet” devices such as electric toothbrushes — to exemptions from the rule that would have required user-replaceable batteries.
- Under the new text, exempted products must still permit battery replacement by trained professionals and manufacturers must make special tools available on fair, non-discriminatory terms.
- A smartphone-specific test lets phones whose batteries retain at least 83% capacity after 500 cycles qualify for professional-only replacement rather than user serviceability.
- The change is already prompting market moves: Nintendo said it will stop selling the original Switch in Europe in 2027 and will rework the Switch 2 to meet the new rules, while some current models such as the iPhone 17 family already meet the Commission’s battery standards.
- Right-to-repair advocates warn the exemptions weaken repairability goals by narrowing which devices users can service themselves, while the Commission cites water resistance, miniaturization and safety as reasons for the carve-outs and the measure now faces scrutiny from the European Parliament and Council.