French iPhone Boxes Come Packed in an Outer Box With Separate EarPods

After the news that France would be the only territory to continue to include EarPods with the iPhone, it seems that Apple is not packing the earbuds within the ‌iPhone‌'s box (via iGeneration).

mg dc18f394 aa80 47dc a072 full

The French ‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro does not have a different retail box to accommodate EarPods, meaning that all ‌iPhone‌ boxes are consistent worldwide. Since the new ‌iPhone‌ boxes are slimmer without a tray for EarPods or a power adapter below the ‌iPhone‌, in France the EarPods are in the bottom of a separate box that is large enough to also contain the standard ‌iPhone‌'s box. The additional box appears to be much larger than the new, slimmed-down ‌iPhone‌ boxes.

Apple is continuing to include EarPods with iPhones in France due to legal obligations. French law demands that manufacturers provide a hands-free accessory with smartphones due to concerns about the effect of electromagnetic waves on the brains.

In addition to the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and 12 Pro, the ‌iPhone‌ 11, ‌iPhone‌ XR, and ‌iPhone‌ SE no longer include EarPods outside of France.

Apple's website encourages customers to use their existing Apple power adapter and headphones or buy these accessories separately, and Apple has now lowered the price of its EarPods with a Lightning connector from $29 to $19.

Apple touted the environmental benefits of no longer including EarPods or a power adapter with iPhones, noting that the move reduces carbon emissions and avoids the mining and use of rare-earth elements. ‌‌iPhone‌ 12‌ models also ship in a thinner box as a result, with Apple claiming that it can fit 70 percent more ‌‌iPhone‌‌ boxes on a single pallet during shipping.

Tag: EarPods
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive These Five Perks

Wednesday July 9, 2025 9:20 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, did you know that Apple offers you five perks beyond the extra storage space, at no additional cost? Here are the perks included with all iCloud+ plans:Private Relay keeps your Safari browsing history entirely private from network providers, websites, and even Apple. Hide My Email generates unique, random email addresses whenever needed. Hom...

Top Rated Comments

JimmyBanks6 Avatar
62 months ago
Double the packaging for the environment.
Score: 58 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MayaTlab Avatar
62 months ago

Why exactly do the French need this?
It isn't like reading the article would give you that information, is it ?
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
benh911f Avatar
62 months ago
So much for lowering that carbon footprint!
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lwii2boo Avatar
62 months ago
I'm French and I would prefer a 20W power adapter rather than EarPods.
Law can be weird sometimes.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Remy149 Avatar
62 months ago

I wish Apple would still include these in the box - I definitely prefer the EarPods most of the time as they don’t need to be recharged every night

The rumor is that Apple is going to discontinue the lightning port on next year’s iPhone - I hope they can continue to make their other lightning accessories like their smart battery case which works great!
I’ve never used the included headphones in the box. I wonder how many people just leave them in the box like I do
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mark-Technology Avatar
62 months ago

Voodoo reason? You mean just like smoking was good for you 50 years ago?
If you could see the full electromagnetic spectrum right now, you'd be amazed at all the EMF affecting your body/brain/ears right now.

Yet we're all alive and have been for millions of years.

All those quadrillion upon sextilions of neutrinos, dark matter particles, and emf waves you can't see are going THROUGH you right now.

It is voodoo and complete ********.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)