Smart Glasses and Apple Watch: the EU Cancels the Requirement for Removable Batteries in Wearables
On Tuesday, the European Commission established an exemption for smartwatches, smart glasses, fitness trackers, and other small wearable devices from the obligation to feature easily removable and user-replaceable batteries. This decision removes the barrier that had kept the latest generation of smart glasses from Meta off the European market, as their integrated batteries cannot be manually removed.
The Commission has opened a call for new exemptions in 2025, with technical assessment entrusted to external experts and a consultation with consumer associations, industry, and member states: a path that had already been initiated, as reported by The Next Web, before the case became political.
Politico reported on U.S. pressures: in March, the U.S. ambassador to the EU, Andrew Puzder, openly defended Meta, describing European rules as "so broad and restrictive that they prevent the sale in the European Union of this wonderful product, developed jointly by the United States and Europe" and praising the glasses as "very stylish." "We need to focus on allowing businesses to grow and innovate," he added. The Commission rejects this connection: in a statement, it said it "has not bowed to anyone's pressures," noting that the proposals "follow a broad public consultation" and that the exemption "does not pertain to the regulation of a specific product."
The Exemption Only Applies to End Users
The European regulation on batteries generally mandates that integrated batteries in products be removable and replaceable by users for the entire life of the device, thus extending its longevity and improving recycling. The exemption just adopted covers wearables whose safety, waterproofness, or water resistance would be compromised by access to the battery, along with devices that are too small for a safe replacement.
The exemption is stricter than the word "exemption" might imply. It is the end user's removal that is waived, while replacement remains provided for professional technicians, and the logic mirrors that already applied to medical devices and appliances that work in wet environments, like electric toothbrushes. The Commission also recalls why removability was introduced: poorly disposed of small lithium batteries are causing an increasing number of fires in waste treatment facilities.
A gaming console must feature user-replaceable batteries by February 2027, while a face-worn camera is now exempt: under the same regulation, Nintendo must either revise its console intended for Europe or forgo selling it. The European Parliament and national governments have two months to oppose; in the absence of objections, the act will be published in the Official Journal and will come into force twenty days later.
Who Benefits
In 2025, over 7 million pairs of Meta's smart glasses were sold worldwide, and Franco-Italian EssilorLuxottica, owner of the RayBan brand, indicated that sales in the U.S. are growing exponentially while European distribution is struggling, with more than half of retail points still uncovered. Removing the hardware constraint unlocks precisely that market.
The green light also benefits those designing competing glasses, from Samsung to Google, and Apple, which can maintain the sealed battery design of Apple Watch and AirPods without redesigning them for Europe. The iPhone, on the other hand, already fell under compliant products based on the original criteria related to battery life and liquid protection.