Exceptions for Apple Watch and others: EU relaxes repair regulation

With the "Right to Repair," the European Commission aims to require manufacturers of electronic products to design them in such a way that certain repairs can be carried out more easily. Starting February 18, 2027, smartphones and tablets, among other devices, must be designed so that their batteries can be replaced without special tools, and replacement batteries must be available for at least five years.

This regulation is already having an impact: The Nintendo Switch 2 ($449 on Amazon) is receiving a new revision, and even the next-generation Apple Pencil is expected to get a replaceable battery. Now, however, the European Commission is introducing an exception to this regulation for certain product categories. This applies primarily to electric toys as well as wearable devices, including smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart glasses. This means that products such as the Apple Watch, Google Fitbit Air, and Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses will still not be required to offer batteries that can be easily replaced.

In a statement from the European Commission, as cited by Politico, it states that this exemption is not the result of pressure exerted on lawmakers. Instead, opening products in this category would pose safety risks that would make repairs by end users unrealistic. For consumers, however, this change means that easily repairable smartwatches such as the Google Pixel Watch 4 are likely to remain rare.