Last April, the European Union approved a reform aimed at protect the right to repair devices users, including televisions, washing machines and, of course, smartphones. With this new legislation, manufacturers will be obliged to offer repair of devices, even outside their warranty period.
This reform has already entered into force throughout the European territoryalthough manufacturers will have plenty of time to fully comply with this legislation in Europe and the rest of the European Union. This is what is changing now.
If your cell phone is broken, you can repair it at a reasonable price, instead of replacing it
The idea of this new legislation is to protect consumer rights and extend the life of products, thus reducing the amount of electronic waste in the region.
This is why the European Parliament has decided to approve this reform, establishing that the customer will be able to demand the repair of his smartphone instead of having to replace it. Manufacturers will also be required to carry out these repairs within a reasonable time and, what is more interesting, They must carry out the repair at a reasonable price.
This should be the case even after the device’s warranty period has expired. In fact, manufacturers must extend mobile warranty by twelve months after its repair, and users will be entitled to receive a replacement mobile phone on loan while theirs is being repaired.
When the European Parliament published the new regulation, it said: “Once the legal guarantee has expired, the manufacturer will remain obliged to repair common household products, technically repairable according to European legislation, such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners and even smartphones.”
The new regulations have already come into force in Europe, but manufacturers will have two years to implement their changes: The deadline for manufacturers is July 31, 2026.
The new regulation comes on top of other changes the European Union has required from mobile technology companies to protect consumer rights, such as extending commercial warranties to three years and using USB-C as standard.
Cover photo | Kilian Seiler on Unsplash (edited)
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