Oliver Haslam on May 4, 2023, 7:23 pm

EU Warns Apple Against Rumored iPhone 15 USB-C MFi Program

When Apple launches the iPhone 15 series later this year it’s expected to be the first round of iPhone that use the USB-C connector rather than Lightning.

But rumors have already suggested that there will be limitations based on third-party cables, and that could be a problem.

Apple is only moving to USB-C because the EU has told it to. All phones and similar electronics must use a common charging connector from the end of 2024 if they want to be sold in the EU, and that includes the iPhone. But with Apple thought to be ready to limit what third-party cables can do in charge of data and charging speed, the EU has already told it not to think about it.

MacRumors reports on what the European Commissioner is said to have already told Apple.

In response to this rumor, European Commissioner Thierry Breton has sent Apple a letter warning the company that limiting the functionality of USB-C cables would not be permitted and would prevent iPhones from being sold in the EU when the law goes into effect, according to German newspaper Die Zeit. The letter was obtained by German press agency DPA, and the report says the EU also warned Apple during a meeting in mid-March.

It’s important to remember that the suggestion that Apple could limit third-party cables is still only a rumor and Apple has far from confirmed it. But the MFi program was expected to continue after the demise of Lightning, something that we thought would go against the EU’s directive. Now, it seems that the EU agrees.