China cell phones face a big problem: the EU is planning strict rules

Chinese smartphone manufacturers bring many new models onto the market very quickly and only distribute software updates irregularly. This is not sustainable and should soon no longer be possible in the EU. For many manufacturers from China, but also other brands, this would become a real problem.

EU plans 5-year update guarantee for mobile phones

In the future, smartphones should not only be easier to repair and thus be able to be used longer, but the software should also remain up to date. Accordingly, the plans EU a new rule for software updateswhich really packs a punch (source: AndroidAuthority). This consists of two points:

1. Cell phones are to receive 5 years of security updates and 3 new operating system versions
2. The updates should arrive on the smartphones 2 months after the release

Samsung and Google are currently the only two Android smartphone manufacturers that at least meet the first point. Manufacturers of Chinese smartphones only offer an update guarantee for very few models, if at all. They could already have problems with the first point. Because this rule would not only apply to high-end smartphones, but also to the countless entry-level and mid-range cell phones. Apple shouldn’t have any problems. There are many years of updates here.

The second part would also be unpleasant for manufacturers like Samsung, because although security updates are distributed quickly there, major OS upgrades are definitely a few weeks away. Basically updating all compatible smartphones at once in two months would be a mammoth task for any smartphone manufacturer. So far only Apple can do thatby releasing new updates for all compatible devices on the same day. Android manufacturers would therefore be massively responsible. It is not known what the consequences would be if this did not happen. Probably a worse rating, as read below.

Many smartphones will soon receive Android 13 as an update:

EU wants to award school grades for smartphones

So that buyers can see directly how sustainable a smartphone is, school grades are to be awarded in the future. Just like with the energy label, people should be able to see which smartphones are sustainable and which are not. The EU is currently collecting feedback on the plans. It will be interesting to see if the rules are actually implemented. For us customers, that would definitely be a great added value.