The European Commission is moving to exempt wearables – including smartwatches, fitness trackers and smart glasses – from upcoming rules requiring user-removable batteries.

The exemption, reported by Politico, clears a major hurdle for companies like Meta, Google, Samsung and Apple planning to launch or expand smart glasses in the EU. The rules would have forced manufacturers to design glasses with batteries that end users can remove and replace, which is difficult to achieve in compact wearable form factors.

Privacy concerns remain. The European Data Protection Board has ordered a report on smart glasses expected this summer. Lawmakers will use those findings to assess whether new surveillance and data collection rules are needed.

Consumer groups are pushing back. Claudio Teixeira, head of digital policy at BEUC, Europe’s largest consumer protection group, warned that exempting these devices “risks setting a dangerous precedent” and urged that exceptions should be based on “clear technical and safety evidence, not industry pressure.”

The European Parliament and member states have two months to object to the tweak. If approved, the legislation enters force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal, likely landing in late November or early December.

The Commission said the exemption is not about smart glasses specifically but about products where opening a device creates safety risks or where technical limits make consumer access unrealistic.

The timing is notable. Multiple companies are preparing smart glasses for the European market. Meta’s Ray-Ban Display glasses launched in select US stores, while Google and Samsung are finalizing Android XR hardware for a 2026 release.

Source: Road to VR
Source: Politico