As we kick off 2025, the USB-C mandate is official in the European Union. This is a big development for all gadgets–especially Apple, where they are “forced” to retire their aging Lightning connector on all their products for USB, and has been in the works since 2022. A quick look at the Apple Philippines Online Store reveals that the 1st-gen Apple Pencil and the USB-C to Lightning cable are the remaining accessories that still use a Lightning connector.

With the USB-C mandate official, this means that consumers can expect to use one cable for the great majority of their devices–the EU Commission notes that those excluded from the mandate are devices that require more than 100w of USB-PD power delivery–though current USB-PD standards allow for up to 240w charging). Laptop manufacturers, on the other hand, have until April 28, 2026 to comply with the directive.

The other goal of the mandate is that this should allow consumers to purchase new devices without a charger to reduce e-waste by as much as 980 tonnes annually.

While the idea of using one USB-C cable for all devices, the EU Commission’s ambition is not that easy: one of the challenges with this mandate is making the charging solution universal across all devices. While USB-PD  is meant to implement that with at least 15w charging, some manufacturers have their proprietary charging solutions. Notable examples include OPPO, realme, and OnePlus’ SuperVOOC–though that’s set to change as some newer models have support for 50w USB-PD charging.

There are some loopholes in the said mandate: for one, brands can use their proprietary charging solution as long as their device has an actual USB-C port–which is the case with Apple’s MacBooks that have MagSafe charging. It also does not cover devices like drones or wireless chargers, but the EU Commission said it will “continuously assess market developments, market fragmentation, and technological progress” to keep the list of devices “as relevant and up-to-date as possible.”

While brands may not like the USB-C Mandate implemented by the EU Commission, it is a win for consumers who don’t want to go into the hassle of finding a specific cable to charge their gadgets. What remains to be seen, however, is if other regions will follow the EU’s footsteps as far as universal charging is concerned.

Outside of that, there’s still a need to fix the complex world of USB-C, as there are different variations that will confuse consumers–ie. Thunderbolt and DisplayPort use USB-C, but some devices may not support it natively.