iPhone: Apple stops offering EarPods wired headphones in the box in France

Apple now stops offering EarPods wired headphones in the box of iPhones sold in France. The repeal of obsolete legislation allows the Californian manufacturer to apply its new policy on the French market.

Since the iPhone 12 in 2020, Apple no longer slips wired headphones or mains chargers into the box of its smartphones. The brand just slips Lightning to USB-C charging cable. To justify its decision, Apple has long highlighted ecological concerns in its announcements. By abandoning these elements, the brand claims to save 861,000 tonnes of metal per year.

In France, legislation enacted in 2010 has however forced Apple to review its plans. The law obliges the manufacturer to offer a hands-free kit to their buyers. The EarPods wired headphones with Lightning connector, worth €19, are therefore included with the iPhone in a small cardboard box, apart from the official packaging.

French law no longer requires Apple to offer EarPods

This legislation, approved at a time when wireless headphones were in the minority, has just been repealed. In November 2021, France implemented a new anti-waste law aimed at reducing the amount of electronic waste. Apple is therefore free to apply its new cost reduction policy to France.

According to an internal note obtained by our colleagues from iGeneration, Apple will finally stop including EarPods in the box of iPhones in France from Tuesday, February 1, 2022. On the Apple Store online, we also see more wired headphones in the list of accessories supplied with the smartphone. As in the rest of the world, Apple is content with a USB-C to Lightning cable. This change is applied to all models of phones sold on the Apple store.

In the internal memo, Apple asks its employees to inform customers of this change. Employees should advise users tobuy a new pair (EarPods or AirPods) or reuse their old headphones.

Related: Lack of Headphones in iPhone Boxes Boosts Airpods Sales

Unsurprisingly, the Silicon Valley giant asks its employees to put forward the ecological argument. “Among its measures in favor of the environment, Apple intends to reduce waste by removing EarPods from iPhone boxes. asks the company. Obviously, the current stocks available in stores still contain a pair of headphones. At some retailers, such as Amazon, in-stock iPhone boxes still include “EarPods headphones with Lightning connector”.

Source: iGen