If you were holding out hope that new EU regulations would force smartwatch makers to build watches with batteries you can swap yourself, the European Commission has some bad news.
They just exempted wearables entirely.
The Quick Version
Back in 2023, the EU passed a Battery Regulation that requires portable devices to have user-replaceable batteries starting February 18, 2027. The idea was simple: you should be able to pop out a dead battery and put in a fresh one without specialized tools or a trip to a repair shop.
It was a big deal for right-to-repair advocates. Phones and tablets were the main target, but the original language was broad enough that smartwatches and fitness trackers would have been caught in the net too.
Now they won't be.
What Actually Changed
On July 14, 2026, the European Commission adopted a delegated act that adds six new product categories to the exemption list. Wearable devices are the headline grabber. The full list includes smartwatches, fitness trackers, electric toys, certain medical devices, portable thermometers, roof-mounted telematics, and equipment designed for explosive atmospheres.
Translation: your Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch, Garmin Fenix, and Whoop band will keep shipping with sealed batteries. Nothing changes for the wearable category.
The rule still applies to phones and tablets. Those still need replaceable batteries by 2027.
Why the EU Backed Off
The Commission hasn't said much publicly about the reasoning, but the writing has been on the wall for a while.
Tech companies argued that the design constraints of wearables make user-replaceable batteries impractical. Smartwatches are tiny. They need to be waterproof. They need to survive drops, sweat, showers, and the occasional swim. Every millimeter of internal space matters, and adding a removable battery door or latch mechanism eats into the space available for the battery itself.
There's also the structural integrity argument. A watch with a removable back is inherently less rigid than a solid chunk of glass and metal glued together. For a device strapped to your wrist during trail runs and weightlifting sessions, that matters.
The Ecodesign framework already had a carve-out that let devices skip the removability requirement if they met specific battery longevity and waterproofing standards. The new delegated act essentially extends similar logic to wearables.
Why Right-to-Repair Advocates Are Frustrated
This one cuts both ways.
The argument for replaceable batteries is straightforward. Battery degradation is the number one reason people replace otherwise-fine devices. A lithium-ion cell typically loses 20% of its capacity after 500 full charge cycles, which for a daily-charged smartwatch is somewhere around 18 months. After two or three years, your watch that used to last all day might barely make it to dinner.
If you could swap in a fresh battery for $30, you'd get another two or three years out of the same watch. Instead, you're looking at a $300+ replacement or a manufacturer repair that costs almost as much as a new device.
Right-to-repair groups see the exemption as the EU backing down under pressure from US tech companies. And they're not wrong to be skeptical. Apple, Samsung, and Google all lobbied hard for this outcome.
Why It Might Not Be Pure Corporate Greed
But there's a legitimate engineering challenge here that's worth acknowledging.
Smartwatches are fundamentally different from phones. A phone has room for a battery compartment, a removable door, and the necessary seals. A watch does not. The entire interior of a modern smartwatch is packed. Display, sensors, Taptic Engine or haptic motor, the system-in-package, antennas, and a battery that's custom-shaped to fill whatever space is left.
Making that battery user-replaceable would mean either making the watch bigger, reducing battery capacity, or compromising on waterproofing. Pick one.
For Garmin and COROS users who take their watches into open water and mountain storms, waterproofing isn't optional. For Apple Watch Ultra owners, the 100-meter water resistance is a selling point. You don't get there with a removable battery door.
What This Means If You're Buying a Watch
For now, nothing changes. The status quo holds.
When you buy a smartwatch or fitness tracker in the EU (or anywhere else, since manufacturers tend to build one global version), expect a sealed battery. Plan for the reality that battery degradation will eventually push you toward an upgrade, typically within two to three years for daily wear.
A few practical takeaways:
- Battery health matters more than ever. Garmin and Apple both let you check battery health in their companion apps. Keep an eye on it.
- Trade-in programs are your friend. Apple, Samsung, and Garmin all offer trade-in credits. An Apple Watch with a degraded battery still has trade-in value.
- Don't overcharge. Lithium-ion batteries degrade faster when held at 100% for long periods. If you charge overnight every night, you'll wear the battery out faster than someone who tops off as needed.
- Consider battery replacement services. Apple charges $89 for Apple Watch battery service. Garmin offers replacement on many models. It's cheaper than a new watch if your hardware is otherwise fine.
Is This Final?
Almost. The delegated act still faces a scrutiny period where the European Parliament and Council can object. In practice, these objections are rare, and the exemption is expected to stand.
If anything changes, it won't be because the engineering got easier. It'll be because the political winds shifted. The tension between repairability and miniaturization isn't going away, and wearables sit right at the center of it.
The Bottom Line
The EU waved the white flag on replaceable smartwatch batteries, and honestly, it was probably inevitable. The engineering trade-offs are real, and the wearable form factor doesn't leave room for compromise.
But it's worth being honest about what we lost. Sealed batteries mean shorter device lifespans, more electronic waste, and fewer options when your watch starts dying at 4pm instead of midnight. The EU can call it a practical exemption. Critics will call it planned obsolescence with a regulatory stamp of approval.
Either way, your next smartwatch will still need a professional (or a very steady hand and a heat gun) to get a fresh battery inside.