San Francisco, Jan 24 (IANS): Apple will no longer include EarPods with every iPhone sold in France.

According to MacRumors, Apple was previously required to include EarPods in the box with the iPhone due to a French law that required every smartphone sold in the country to come with a handsfree kit.

Now, the law has been changed in favour of reducing the environmental footprint of digital devices.

In most countries, and starting with the iPhone 12 in 2020, Apple stopped including a pair of EarPods and the power adapter in the iPhone box. The company claimed it was doing its part to reduce the environmental footprints of its devices.

The new law is not only applicable to Apple but all the smartphone manufacturers in France as it no longer forces them to include headphones in the box. Instead, they just need to ensure that compatible headphones are available separately as an optional accessory.

As per report, Apple's regional website for France continues to show EarPods as an item included in the box with the iPhone alongside a USB-C to Lightning cable, although this will likely be updated soon.