Club Benefits
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Daily (Mon-Sun)
Tom's Guide Daily
Sign up to get the latest updates on all of your favorite content! From cutting-edge tech news and the hottest streaming buzz to unbeatable deals on the best products and in-depth reviews, we’ve got you covered.
Weekly on Thursday
Tom's AI Guide
Be AI savvy with your weekly newsletter summing up all the biggest AI news you need to know. Plus, analysis from our AI editor and tips on how to use the latest AI tools!
Weekly on Friday
Tom's iGuide
Unlock the vast world of Apple news straight to your inbox. With coverage on everything from exciting product launches to essential software updates, this is your go-to source for the latest updates on all the best Apple content.
Weekly on Monday
Tom's Streaming Guide
Our weekly newsletter is expertly crafted to immerse you in the world of streaming. Stay updated on the latest releases and our top recommendations across your favorite streaming platforms.
Join the club
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
You may have heard that the iPhone 15 is getting a USB-C port, and so has the European Union. According to reporting from Die Zeit, one EU member has written to Apple to warn that if this new port has limitations for certain accessories, it could face a ban.
The letter, written by EU industry commissioner Thierry Breton, stated that if the iPhone 15 tries to restrict functions for non-licensed accessories, the iPhone could end up banned from the countries in the EU, something it's warned before.
MFi's presence on the iPhone 15 is disputed, as some rumormongers claim Apple's ditching MFi with its move to USB-C. But if Apple is indeed adapting MFi for a new era of connectors, the EU will clearly have something to say about it.
What if the iPhone 15 does get banned?
The iPhone being forced to leave Europe would be a huge deal, that goes without saying. But for now, it’s important to note we (and the quoted EU officials) are still only dealing with rumors about what Apple has planned. There's no need for panic just yet
Also, the U.K., now famously not a part of the European Union, in theory wouldn't be affected by the EU forbidding iPhone sales. There could still be secondary effects from Apple needing to pull huge amounts of stock from Europe, though.
If Apple is introducing MFi, it could still try and sell the iPhone 15 in the EU and hope that it can win a legal victory down the line. As we can see from the Apple vs Epic Games battle over the App Store, or its opposition to a potential U.K. antitrust investigation into Safari on iOS (via AppleInsider), Apple's not afraid of fighting in the courtroom.
Equally, the EU ruling on standard charging ports doesn't come into force until December 2024. Since next year's iPhone will presumably launch in September as usual, that gives Apple until the iPhone 17 in 2025 to be fully compliant, and a decent amount of time for MFi to in theory still be legal.
If there is a ban, we'll be here to help recommend you the best iPhones that are still available, or even the best Android phones if you're willing to ditch the Apple phone way of life. Right now though, it's best to just sit back and see how things play out
This September, we should see the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max all arrive, along with their alleged USB-C ports. More exciting features like a new curved design, a higher-powered zoom camera on the Pro Max and a mighty 3nm chipset for the Pro models have been tipped too.
More from Tom's Guide
