The European Union has reached a provisional agreement that will effectively force Apple to change the charging port used by its smaller electronics.
Last year the European Commission published an 18-page directive which would require electronic devices to all use the same type of USB-C charging port.
Apple has not responded to the decision and a spokesperson did not tell Sky News whether consumers in the UK and beyond would affected.
However its iPhone and AirPod devices – alongside several others – currently use Apple’s own bespoke “Lightning” ports to connect and charge, and will under the new rules need to be redesigned by autumn 2024 or would not be lawful to sell within the EU.
Analysts have suggested that Apple may move all of its devices to USB-C, rather than simply sell different versions in the EU.
A previous attempt to introduce a common charging port across the bloc was launched in 2018, but failed.