Remember when Apple got rid of the headphone jack and forced you to plug everything into your iPhone's lightning connector?
Well, that "wave of the future" is about to become the past, because Apple has agreed to change the plugs that you can use with its devices. Again.
Future iPhones will be made with the same USB-C port that your friends with Android phones are probably already using, an Apple executive told the Wall Street Journal this week.
Here's what you need to know.
What is the iPhone connector called?
Longtime iPhone users may remember that their phones used to have two holes: one for a 3.5-millimetre headphone jack, and another for the power cable.
Those old power cables used to be flat and wide, but Apple rolled out its much smaller lightning connector for its devices in 2012, beginning with the iPhone 5. Later models dropped the 3.5-millimetre headphone jack altogether, and instead, you had to get a dongle to adapt your old headphones.
The lightning connector has been the only iPhone charging cable for about a decade.
Why is Apple switching connectors?
Apple executives told the Wall Street Journal that they have "no choice" but to switch to a USB-C port on future iPhones because of a new law in the European Union.
The EU voted earlier this week to make USB-C the mandatory port for all devices sold in Europe.
It sounds like Apple would rather make one version of its future devices with that connector than have two different kinds going forward.
What is a USB-C connector?
USB-C and Apple lightning connectors.
You've probably seen these cords on some of your electronics at home. They're about the size of a lightning cable connector, except instead of having a flat piece that you insert, the tip is round and hollow inside.
When will Apple switch connectors?
The EU rule comes into effect in 2024, so all devices will have to meet that standard by that time.
Apple typically releases a new iPhone model every September, and the current iPhone 14 model still uses the lightning connector.
If Apple is going to comply with the law in 2024, its next phone will have to be USB-C. That means you can expect it with the iPhone 15 in late 2023.
What does this mean for my iPhone?
Nothing, really. If you've got a lightning plug, you're fine.
However, you can probably expect the plugs and accessories to start fading away next year, once Apple stops backing the design.
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