New exemptions were integrated by the European Commission to the regulations for batteries, meaning that the AirPods and Apple are free from needing to provide replaceable and removable batteries that are user friendly.
The Battery Regulations in the EU imposes products sold from consumers in the area to be equipped with batteries that can be swapped out by the user, such that devices can be used for longer periods and material recovery will be much easier. This makes the plans of Meta to bring in a new pair of smart glasses equipped with a display a bit messed up.
A device already exempt by the rule is the iPhone due to the water resistance rating and cycle life of the battery, with battery services still offered by Apple in their authorized providers and Apple Stores. Nintendo states that they will be selling a Switch 2 in the EU that has a replaceable battery to comply with the rules.
