The third-generation iPhone SE, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Plus have all been taken off Apple’s online store in the majority of EU countries as of today. This is because of a regulation that will soon go into effect requiring all newly sold smartphones with wired charging to have a USB-C port.
In the majority of EU nations, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden, the three iPhone models are no longer available on Apple’s online shop. Switzerland and a few other nations that are part of the EU single market have likewise unlisted the gadgets.
The rule takes effect on December 28 and is applicable to any individual iPhone unit—even older models—that is put up for sale after that date. The iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and the current iPhone SE still have Lightning ports, however all iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 devices have USB-C ports for wired charging.
This rule does not apply to the UK because it exited the EU in 2020. Nonetheless, Northern Ireland is impacted because it continues to engage in the EU single market.
Apple has yet to delist the three iPhone models in a few more EU nations, and it started to phase them out of the market last week. Due to the depletion of any remaining inventory, in-store availability at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Resellers is probably going to be inconsistent over the coming days. However, Apple has largely stopped selling the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone SE in the European Union.
The iPhone SE should make a speedy comeback to the EU since Apple is anticipated to reveal a fourth-generation model with a USB-C port in March. Meanwhile, sales of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are ending in the EU around nine months early because those handsets probably would have been discontinued in September if the USB-C rule hadn’t been in place.
The news of Apple’s intention to discontinue selling these iPhone models in the EU was originally reported earlier this month by the French website iGeneration.fr.