The big shift: sealed batteries are now the norm for wearables
The EU battery exemption for wearables means that smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart glasses, wireless earbuds and similar devices no longer have to offer batteries that ordinary users can remove and replace themselves, even as new rules push phones and other gadgets toward user-replaceable designs. This is not a minor technical tweak; it locks in the sealed-battery approach that has defined modern wearables and makes it unlikely you will ever swap the battery in your watch or fitness tracker at home. The delegated act adopted by the European Commission exempts these products from the general requirement that portable batteries be removable and replaceable by users. The batteries must still be replaceable, but only by independent professionals. So while your future smartwatch might still get a new battery one day, it will probably happen in a repair shop, not at your kitchen table. For anyone who bought an Apple Watch hoping for a future with at-home battery swaps, that future will not include wearables.
Why smartwatches got a pass: miniaturization, water, and safety
On paper, wearable battery regulations sound like a victory for repairability. In practice, the Commission decided that forcing user access to tiny, tightly packed batteries can be more dangerous than helpful. In its own document, it warns that “the miniaturization of wearable devices and the portable batteries powering them may result in situations where the battery is so tightly encapsulated in its receptacle that its removal may create a non-negligible risk of damage or piercing of the battery.” Water resistance is the other decisive factor. Many wearables are designed as “wet appliances”, meant to be splashed, submerged, or washed. Opening a compact, water-resistant enclosure and failing to reseal it properly can compromise both durability and safety. Even conventional watches tend to lose their water resistance once opened, and restoring it requires specialist pressure testing. The Commission argues that where anatomical or ergonomic design limits redesign, small batteries are justified in being removable only by independent professionals. In short: the thin, swim-proof watch you like depends on a sealed battery you cannot touch.
What qualifies for the exemption—and what doesn’t
The smartwatch removable battery rules now explicitly carve out a safe zone for certain devices. Qualifying wearables include smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart glasses, heart-rate straps, wireless earbuds and even devices integrated into clothing. Many of these also fall under the “wet appliances” category—products designed to be splashed, submerged, or washed, from electric toothbrushes to outdoor wireless speakers. Devices can be exempt on two broad grounds. First, if they are so small and their internals so densely packed that removing the battery poses a real risk of damaging or piercing it—exactly the kind of scenario that can set a lithium cell on fire. Second, if water resistance, durability or safety would be compromised by letting users open the case. In such cases, batteries must be replaceable only by professionals. The Commission even notes it may add future exemptions for new categories as markets and technology evolve. The message is clear: if a device is tiny or built for wet environments, expect a sealed battery.
Smartphones face stricter rules—and that contrast matters
While wearables wriggle out of user-replaceable battery rules, smartphones are heading in the opposite direction. From February 18, 2027, phones and tablets must be designed so their batteries can be swapped without special tools, with replacement parts available for years. Phone makers will generally have to ensure customers can open devices and switch out batteries themselves using basic tools like a screwdriver and pry tool, not proprietary rigs. There is a narrow exemption: a phone can keep a professionally replaceable battery if it is rated at least IP67 and that battery retains at least 83 percent of its original capacity after 500 charge cycles or 80 percent after 1,000 cycles. Wearables, by contrast, are broadly exempt from user access when they meet the miniaturization or wet-appliance criteria. This split creates an odd reality. The phone in your pocket is being pushed toward repairability, while the smartwatch on your wrist is being locked into a sealed design. It’s a deliberate trade-off: more repairable phones, but convenience-focused, water-resistant wearables that treat batteries as a service, not a spare part.
How to buy wearables in a sealed-battery world
For consumers, the EU battery exemption wearables policy is both protective and limiting. It protects you from ripping open a tiny gadget and accidentally puncturing a lithium cell—but it also means you should stop expecting at-home fitness tracker battery replacement. Wearables will only need to be designed for professional battery replacement, not end-user access. That should change how you shop. Treat sealed batteries as a built-in lifespan: once capacity drops and service becomes uneconomical or unavailable, the device is headed for recycling. The Commission’s broader battery rules aim to improve collection, recycling and repurposing, but they cannot fix the reality that hardware often outlives its software support. One action group estimates that expiring software or server support generated 1.7 billion pounds of e-waste over the last decade and has urged regulators to mandate 15 years of OS updates. When you buy your next smartwatch or earbuds, ask two questions: how long will the battery stay healthy, and how long will the software keep the device worth repairing? In a sealed-battery future, those answers matter more than ever.
