Apple to Include EarPods and Charger With iPhone 12 — in France

Still want those EarPods with the iPhone 12? A trip to France might be in order.

Apple decided that the iPhone 12 would be the first of its smartphones to launch without EarPods and a charger included in the box. However, there’s one country where it can’t remove the EarPods for fear of breaking the law.

As MacRumors reports, France requires that every mobile phone includes some form of hands-free kit or headset in a bid to protect children aged under 14 years old from exposure to electromagnetic waves. Failure to do so results in a criminal fine of 75,000 euros. With that in mind, Apple will ship the entire iPhone 12 lineup in France with EarBuds and a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box. There won’t be a charger, though.

Apple also decided to remove the EarBuds and charger from the iPhone 11, iPhone XR, and iPhone SE, but the same concession will need to be made for those handsets in France. It’s surely a headache for Apple due to the extra packaging and weight involved, but France has a population of over 66 million people, so it’s definitely worth the effort for the company.

At its iPhone 12 launch event earlier this week, Apple announced it would stop shipping EarPods and the power adapter with all new iPhones, citing environmental concerns. This means that some users will have to pay extra money to get these accessories, but Apple at least reduced the price of both from $25 CAD to $25.