What you need to know
- Code found within iOS 14.2 suggests Apple may remove EarPods from the iPhone 12 box.
- Apple is already anticipated to remove the power adapter from the box.
- The company has already removed the power adapter from the new Apple Watch boxes.
Reported by MacRumors, code found within the iOS 14.2 beta points to the idea that Apple will not be including a set of EarPods in the box with the iPhone 12.
A change in the copy between iOS 14 and iOS 14.2 has been found when talking about "reducing exposure to RF energy." In iOS 14, the copy talks about using the "supplied headphones," but in iOS 14.2, that text has removed the word "supplied."
In iOS 14 and earlier versions of iOS, there's a mention of reducing exposure to RF energy by using the "supplied headphones," which is the same wording that Apple has used for years now. In iOS 14.2, this wording has been tweaked to say just "headphones," removing the "supplied" part of this statement. The full code reads as follows:
Previous reports from Ming-Chi Kuo and Dan Ives back in May and June also pointed to Apple removing EarPods from the box of its upcoming iPhones, so this latest find is one more indication that it may be true. The company may launch some kind of promotion to encourage customers to upgrade to AirPods along with their new iPhone.
The removal of EarPods may also be joined by the removal of the 5-watt power adapter, which Apple is rumored to be doing with the iPhone 12 as well. The company removed the power brick from the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE already, so the iPhone would be the next step.
If both rumors turn out to be true, the iPhone 12 would only include a charging cable, which is also expected to now be a USB-C to Lightning cable instead of USB-A to Lightning. Apple has already started shipping such a cable with the iPhone 11 Pro models as the charging brick included with those phones is USB-C.
