In a bid to correct this error, prevent e-waste and better the Android ecosystem, Android phone makers in Europe might be forced to support their phones for 5 years. It’s something noticed among most phone brands to roll out very few updates to their smartphones after release and then the device is left in the lurch.
The EU passed out a draft regulation that aims at establishing “ecodesign requirements for mobile phones, cordless phones, and slate tablets”. The new regulation will be extending Android smartphones’ lifespan for up to two or three years. How does the commission hope to achieve this feat?
What this means for Android phone makers in Europe
To extend the Android devices’ lifespan for up to three years, there would be the rollout of three major OS upgrades and five years rollout of security patches at least for the smartphones in Europe. Previously, some Android phone makers in Europe were offering something related to these requirements although all had shortcomings.
In the case of the Big G, Google, the brand offered three years rollout of major OS upgrades including security patches of which most devices didn’t fit into this puzzle. On the part of Samsung, the brand offered four years of rollout of major OS upgrades and five years of rollout of security patches, however, this was for most of the high-end Galaxy smartphones. Talk less of OnePlus, which just rolls out one major OS upgrade and the budget devices are left without updates.
In addition to the software support, Android makers in Europe will have to push out repair parts for their smartphones for up to 5 years. By repair parts, we mean battery, camera, microphone, display, charging port and the other hardware sections.
The battery life of smartphones is given a thorough look and the EU is saying the Android phone makers should provide “strict standards for battery longevity”. The EU mentions batteries should remain 83 percent after 500 charge cycles and 80 percent after 1000 charge cycles. OnePlus seems to check this box as they claim to offer 80 percent after 1600 charge cycles.
Attention will also be given to USB-C cables and Germany even made a move to make all Android makers use the type C cable by 2024. Well, no doubt, the EU’s plans to make Android makers in Europe support their phones for 5 years will better the Android ecosystem and will give other budget-friendly devices a taste of sweet updates and hardware support. Probably, other regions might follow this trend and phones worldwide will be getting good support after release.
