Smartphone makers don't bother to comply with EU repairability requirements
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• 7 days ago
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在 European Union 针对智能手机和平板电脑的可维修性法规实施一年后，合规情况仍然令人担忧。 Right to Repair Europe 联盟报告称，目前市场上超过 80% 的设备未能向用户提供法规要求的维修信息。尽管这些规则自 2025 年 6 月生效，要求制造商公布维修说明和备件定价，但对 European Product Registry for Energy Labelling 的审查显示，大多数公司并未履行这些义务。
该组织对超过 2,300 款智能手机型号进行检查，发现只有 18% 的机型真正提供了能让消费者查到维修说明或备件的可用网站。其余条目中很大一部分字段为空，还有些则把用户引导到与维修无关的支持页面。个别情况下，厂商甚至把用户指向 Temu 或 AliExpress 等第三方市场去寻找零件，暴露出透明度不足和对法规精神的漠视。
尽管未能满足这些基本要求，许多厂商仍为自己打出高分的可维修性评分。允许企业自评的做法遭到倡导者批评：即便厂商在形式上合规，所提供的信息往往难以查找。对于主要品牌，想要查到单个零件的具体价格常常需要反复点击，且有时所列价格范围宽泛到几乎无法为消费者提供准确的维修成本参考。
Right to Repair Europe 现在质疑 EU 当前执法策略的有效性。他们指出，监管机构似乎很少对厂商提交到注册表的数据进行核查。批评者认为，在监管方要求公开支持这些自评分数的完整文件之前，这一体系仍然容易被操纵。
展望未来，预计还会有进一步的监管变动以强化消费者权利。从 2027 年 2 月起，新的移动设备将被要求配备用户可更换电池，目的是延长硬件使用寿命。尽管针对可穿戴设备等专业产品存在例外，但这一变化仍体现了 EU 为减少电子垃圾、提升消费电子长期可用性所做出的持续且充满挑战的努力。
One year after the implementation of the European Union's repairability regulations for smartphones and tablets, compliance remains alarmingly low. The Right to Repair Europe coalition reports that more than 80 percent of devices on the market currently fail to provide the mandatory repair information to owners. Although the rules, which took effect in June 2025, require manufacturers to publish repair instructions and spare parts pricing, a review of the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling indicates that most companies have not followed through.
The campaign group examined over 2,300 smartphone models and discovered that only 18 percent actually provide a functional website where consumers can find repair instructions or spare parts. A significant portion of the remaining entries contain blank fields, while others point users to irrelevant support pages. In some cases, companies have even directed customers to third-party marketplaces like Temu or AliExpress for parts, highlighting a lack of transparency and commitment to the spirit of the legislation.
Despite failing these basic requirements, many manufacturers continue to assign themselves high repairability scores. This practice of allowing companies to mark their own homework has drawn criticism from advocates, who point out that even when manufacturers are technically compliant, the information is often difficult to navigate. For major brands, finding concrete pricing for individual components often requires excessive clicking, and sometimes the listed prices are presented in such broad ranges that they become virtually meaningless for a consumer looking for an accurate repair cost.
The Right to Repair Europe group is now questioning the overall effectiveness of the EU's current enforcement strategy. They note that there appears to be little oversight from public authorities to verify the accuracy of the data manufacturers submit to the registry. Critics argue that until regulators demand the publication of the full documentation supporting these self-declared scores, the system will remain prone to manipulation.
Looking ahead, further regulatory changes are expected to strengthen consumer rights. Starting in February 2027, new mobile devices will be required to feature user-replaceable batteries, a move intended to extend the lifecycle of hardware. While some exceptions exist for specialized products like wearables, this upcoming shift represents a continued, albeit challenging, effort by the EU to combat electronic waste and improve the long-term usability of consumer technology.
203 comments • Comments Link
• 有效的监管需要透明、迅速且有力的制裁才能奏效。目前许多法规在执行层面乏力，无法对大型公司构成威慑。
• 依赖行业机构或第三方评级存在问题：这些机构通常缺乏监管权限，且把执法交给私营公司会产生利益冲突。
• 对大型实体处以罚款的作用有限，企业往往将罚款视为可预见的经营成本而非威慑，只有造成重大经济损失或追究高管个人责任，才可能促成行为改变。
• 监管机构与大型科技公司之间存在严重的力量失衡，加之来自 United States 的地缘政治或经济报复威胁，使在 EU 境内执行国内法变得复杂。
• European 科技领域常被批评未能培育强大的本土软件市场，导致对外国产品的依赖，而这些产品又难以监管或挑战。
• GDPR 等隐私与消费者保护法律被许多人视为提供必要的道德框架，尽管小型组织认为合规带来的行政负担过重。
• 用户可更换电池与可维修性被视为延长设备寿命的关键，尽管制造商强调这在设备轻薄、防水性以及 lithium-ion 能量密度等方面存在技术权衡。
• 对现代消费者是否愿意自行维修设备存在质疑，一些人认为监管应更多着眼于强制企业提供可靠的专业维修服务。
• 当前缺乏积极、及时的执法，这带来不确定性并助长企业拖延合规的行为，因为它们寄希望于法律最终被放宽或忽视。
• 对监管的文化看法差异显著：许多 European 参与者认为相关框架对维护社会价值至关重要，而另一些人则将其视为削弱竞争力的短视干预。
这场讨论反映出两种截然不同的观点：一种认为 EU 的监管是让强势企业承担责任的必要手段，另一种则认为其扼杀创新、沦为无法实现目标的官僚负担。尽管普遍认为当前执法过于缓慢且不一致，难以对大型科技公司构成威慑，但各方对更严格、更具惩罚性的措施是否能从根本上解决问题，还是只会加剧与外国政府之间的经济与政治摩擦，存在严重分歧。归根结底，这次对话凸显了消费者友好、可持续技术愿景与全球化市场现实之间的紧张关系——在这样的市场中，合规往往被当作一种战略考量，而非纯粹的道德准则。 • Effective regulation requires transparent, swift, and robust sanctions to be successful; current legislative efforts often suffer from inconsistent enforcement that fails to deter major companies.
• Reliance on industry bodies or third-party ratings can be problematic, as these entities often lack regulatory authority, and relying on private companies for enforcement creates a conflict of interest.
• The effectiveness of a fine is limited when dealing with massive entities, as companies may treat penalties as a predictable cost of doing business rather than a deterrent, suggesting that only significant financial impact or personal liability for executives will drive behavior.
• A significant power imbalance exists between regulatory bodies and major tech firms, with the threat of geopolitical or economic retaliation from the United States complicating the enforcement of domestic laws within the EU.
• The European tech landscape is often criticized for failing to foster a robust internal software market, leading to a dependency on foreign products that are then difficult to regulate or challenge.
• Privacy and consumer protection laws like GDPR are viewed by many as providing a necessary ethical framework, even if smaller organizations find the administrative burden of compliance to be disproportionately high.
• User-replaceable batteries and repairability are seen as essential for extending device lifecycles, though manufacturers emphasize trade-offs in device slimness, waterproofing, and the technical complexities of lithium-ion energy density.
• Skepticism exists regarding whether modern consumers actually want the burden of repairing devices themselves, with some arguing that regulators should focus more on forcing companies to provide reliable, professional repair services.
• The current lack of aggressive, immediate enforcement creates uncertainty for businesses and encourages companies to delay compliance in the hope that laws will eventually be softened or ignored.
• Cultural perspectives on regulation vary significantly; many European participants view these frameworks as essential for safeguarding societal values, whereas others characterize them as shortsighted interventions that hinder economic competitiveness.
The discussion reflects a deep divide between those who view EU regulation as a necessary step toward holding powerful corporations accountable and those who see it as a bureaucratic burden that stifles innovation and fails to achieve its stated goals. While there is a broad consensus that current enforcement is often too slow and inconsistent to deter large tech companies, there is significant disagreement over whether stricter, more punitive measures would actually resolve the underlying issues or merely lead to further economic and political friction with foreign governments. Ultimately, the conversation highlights a tension between the desire for consumer-friendly, sustainable technology and the practical realities of a globalized market where compliance is often treated as a strategic calculation rather than a moral imperative.