Apple has officially stopped including EarPods in the box with every iPhone sold in France, as it once again cites the environmental benefits of less packaging required with a smaller box being possible, now that earphones and chargers both are no longer included in the box.
Apple’s French website no longer shows EarPods being included in the box with any of its iPhones. Instead, only the iPhone itself and a USB-C to Lightning cable are listed as being included in the box.
Earlier this month, we saw posts from French carriers indicating that Apple would stop including EarPods earbuds with iPhones sold in France, starting on January 24. Apple had previously been required to include EarPods in every iPhone box, thanks to a French law that required a “handsfree kit” to be included with every smartphone sold in the country. However, that law has now been changed as the government is now looking to reduce the environmental footprint of digital devices like the iPhone.
In most countries, and starting with the iPhone 12 in 2020, Apple stopped including a pair of EarPods and the power adapter in the iPhone box. The company claimed it was doing its part to reduce the environmental footprints of its devices. Removing both accessories from the box allowed Apple to make the iPhone box dramatically thinner.
However, the Cupertino firm was still required to continue including EarPods in the iPhone box when the devices were sold in France. French officials required that earbuds be included in the box with smartphones, due to concerns over the risks of exposing developing brains to electromagnetic waves not being clearly known.
However, according to a new bill passed in the French assembly, smartphone manufacturers are no longer required to include headphones in the box. They will now simply be required to make sure that headphones are available as an optional accessory.