Apple Pulls iPhone 14, iPhone SE (2022) From Online Stores in EU as USB Type-C Mandate Comes Into Effect

Apple has stopped selling iPhone 14 and the iPhone SE (2022) on its online stores in the European Union (EU). The Cupertino-based technology giant's decision to discontinue older iPhone models is in compliance with the mandate issued by the European Parliament that was issued in October, 2022 and came into effect on December 28, 2024. It requires all small and medium-sized portable electronic devices sold in the EU bloc to have a common charging port — USB Type-C.

While Apple's newer models such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 come equipped with the aforementioned port, several of its older devices, which are being discontinued in the EU, still feature the company's proprietary lightning port. However, the EU's mandate means even older devices must be sold with a USB Type-C charger, due to which the technology giant is pulling iPhone 14 and iPhone SE (2022) from its online stores.

Gadgets 360 can confirm that Apple's decision has already come into effect. Apple stores in regions part of the EU such as Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland, only list iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 models as the ones on sale.

The discontinued models are also speculated to be soon removed from the company's offline stores too.

However, this does not apply to the UK which left the EU in 2020 in a move famously known as ‘Brexit'. Apple's UK online store still officially sells the iPhone 14 and iPhone SE (2022). Meanwhile, the company is expected to launch the successor to the latter early next year and it is speculated to be equipped with a USB Type-C port, in compliance with the European Parliament.

In addition to making USB Type-C the charging standard on small and medium-sized portable electronics, it is also confirmed to come into effect for laptops starting April 28, 2026. Further, the EU's USB Type-C mandate also allows consumers to opt out of receiving a charger when buying new devices. This is said to be in a bid to reduce the e-waste generated by different chargers for multiple devices, enable consumers to make sustainable choices and solve the issue of market fragmentation.