As part of its efforts to make consumer electronics more sustainable, the EU has proposed new regulations that will require OEMs to offer at least five years of security updates and three years of OS updates to their devices. In addition, EU regulators have also suggested minimum spare part requirements for smartphones and tablets sold in the region for a minimum of five years.
To a large extent Apple does NOT have the software update issue and will easily comply with this requirement, but Android really does need this minimum spec for software updates. Both require requirements for parts availability and especially battery replacement.
This will go a long way to at least halving the current e-waste from smartphones and tablets. The prices being charged for many smartphones of over $1,000 is just crazy if you think they only get supported for 2 or 3 years. It will force manufacturers to also think differently about design, but also how they market new features. I have realised that buying very cheap no-name Android phones is really not in my best interest as it is better to pay a bit more and get better longevity and support out of a device, so much so, that after many years on Android I ditched it for an iPhone.
See https://www.xda-developers.com/eu-regulation-software-update-spare-part-availability
#technology #rightorepair #EU #softwareupdates #smartphones