Nobody (or almost) follows smartphone repairability rules in Europe

More than a year after the entry into force of the European regulations on the repairability of smartphones and tablets, applied from June 2025, the situation appears decidedly critical.

An accurate analysis conducted by the Right to Repair Europe coalition reveals that the vast majority of devices lack the information needed for repairs.

Although the rules require a visible repairability score and a transparent documentation on spare parts, over 80% of products fall outside these provisions.

The lack of careful oversight allows many manufacturers to circumvent the rules, effectively leaving consumers without the means to genuinely extend the life of their electronic devices.

Companies ignore European rules on smartphone repairability

Data drawn from the European Product Registry for Energy Labeling shows pervasive disregard for the directives. 2,334 models of smartphones released on the market in the last year, ranging from basic phones to top-of-the-line smartphones, only 18% provide a functioning website where you can consult replacement part costs or read the manuals.

Exactly half of the registrations simply show empty fields where a link should be. A further 19% of links lead to generic support pages that omit all details about repair.

In some extreme cases, customers are even redirected to large Asian e-commerce portals such as Temu or AliExpress to independently search for components.

The mechanism on which the regulation is based presents clear gaps in terms of verification. Being entirely based on self-assessment, it allows several openly non-compliant brands to assign themselves an A rating for repairability, boasting an excellence that does not exist.

Even when information is provided, it can be unreliable: some companies indicate prohibitively wide price ranges, such as replacement batteries ranging from €14 to €128, making it difficult for users to estimate the true cost-effectiveness of replacement.

Even tech giants like Apple and Samsung, while being formally compliant, make access to these data rather difficult, requiring a complex navigation before reaching the information sought.

The need for stricter controls

The group Right to Repair Europe denounces the total lack of checks by public authorities, noting how thousands of incomplete or incorrect forms have gone completely unnoticed.

Thomas Opsomer, European spokesperson for iFixit policies, calls the obligation to publish prices and manuals an important regulatory advance, but stresses the urgency of enforcing it rigorously.

To prevent further abuses, manufacturers should be obliged to make public the entire documentation that justifies the declared scores, also facilitating citizens’ reporting.

While awaiting tighter checks, a further strengthening of consumer rights will come in February next year, when the directive requiring replaceable batteries directly from users on new mobile devices will take effect.