Updated October 2026. Rewritten with the 2026 state of the law in the US and Europe, and checked against court records and regulators' announcements rather than other blogs.
Your phone slows to a crawl the month the new one comes out. The printer decides it hates the ink you bought. The toaster dies and the part that failed costs more than a new toaster, if you can buy it at all.
It is not you. It is, quite often, them. There is a name for it: planned obsolescence. I spent years researching it for my book, A Life Less Throwaway, and it is the reason Buy Me Once exists. Here is what it is, whether it is legal where you live, and how to shop your way around it. x Tara, founder
The short answer
- What it is: making things that fail, or feel out of date, sooner than they need to, so you buy again.
- Is it legal in the US? Yes, as a design choice. Hiding it from you is not, which is why Apple has paid out over iPhone slowdowns.
- Where it is a crime: France, since 2015. The EU's Right to Repair Directive takes effect on July 31, 2026.
- What you can do: buy from makers who sell spare parts and put a long warranty in writing, and use your state's right-to-repair law if you have one.
What is planned obsolescence?
Put simply, it is when a product is designed or managed so that its useful life is shorter than it could be, so that you buy it more often. It goes by other names too: built-in, premature or programmed obsolescence. They all mean the same thing.
The idea is almost a century old. In 1928 the American advertising writer Justus George Frederick argued that people should be induced to buy things not to use them but to keep commerce moving and throw them away after a short time. In 1932 Bernard London went further and proposed that the government should set a legal expiry date on products to end the Depression. The phrase stuck, and so did the business model.
The five kinds of obsolescence to watch for
Engineered failure
A part that is built to give up early, or a battery glued in so the whole product dies with it. The classic example is the light bulb cartel below.
Software obsolescence
Updates that slow a device, end support for hardware that still works, or lock you out of features. This is where most of the fines have landed.
Repair obsolescence
The product could be fixed, but the maker will not sell you the part, the manual or the tool, or pairs parts to the device with software so an independent repair fails. Right-to-repair laws are aimed squarely at this.
Consumable lock-in
Printers that reject cheaper cartridges, razors whose handles only fit one blade. The device is cheap because you pay forever. We wrote about printers separately.
Perceived obsolescence
Nothing is broken; you have just been made to feel it is out of date. New colors, new models, new trends, every year.
Real examples, on the record
The light bulb cartel. In 1924 the world's major bulb makers formed the Phoebus cartel. Bulbs were getting better, some lasting 2,500 hours, so the cartel set a 1,000-hour target and fined members whose bulbs ran long. It was sold to the public as brighter, more efficient light.
The slowed iPhones. In 2017 Apple admitted that iOS updates throttled older iPhones with worn batteries. It said this was to stop sudden shutdowns; owners said nobody told them, and that they had bought new phones they did not need. Apple denied wrongdoing but settled a US class action for up to $500 million in 2020 and paid $113 million to 34 states. France fined it 25 million euros for not telling customers, and Italy fined Apple 10 million euros and Samsung 5 million euros over updates that slowed older phones.
Repair locked shut. The quieter, more common version: a battery glued in, a case that cannot be opened without breaking, a spare part that is never sold, or a part that works only after the maker's software approves it. This is what the right-to-repair movement is fighting, and it is winning ground state by state.
Is planned obsolescence legal?
In the United States, mostly yes. No federal or state law bans designing a product to wear out. Where companies have been caught, it has been under laws against deceptive or unfair practices: the problem was not the short life but the hiding of it. A 1953 antitrust case against General Electric over the bulb cartel turned on price fixing and conspiracy, not on the bulbs being designed to fail.
Right to repair is the US answer. As of mid-2026, 13 states have some form of right-to-repair law, requiring makers to sell parts, tools and repair information. Electronics are covered in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington. Oregon and Washington also ban parts pairing. There is no federal law yet. Each state's law has its own start date and product list, so check yours.
In France, it is a crime. Since 2015 knowingly shortening a product's life to increase replacement has been punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 euros, or 5% of turnover. France also makes many products carry a repairability score at the register.
Across the EU, from July 31, 2026, the Right to Repair Directive requires manufacturers of products such as phones, washing machines, dishwashers, fridges and vacuums to offer repairs at a reasonable price, in some cases for up to 10 years, and bans hardware and software tricks that block independent repair. If you choose a repair while the product is under its legal guarantee, the guarantee on the whole product is extended by at least 12 months.
What you can do about it
The biggest lever is still the checkout. Every time we pick the cheapest thing that will do, we vote for the business model. Here is the checklist we use for every product on this site, and it works anywhere:
- Find the weakest link. Every product category has one part that kills it: the element in a kettle, the zipper on a bag, the coating on a pan. Look for the maker who has designed that part out or sells it as a spare. This is the heart of our appliances guide and every other guide we write.
- Read the warranty in the maker's own words. "Lifetime" can mean your lifetime, the product's lifetime, or the lifetime of a single part. Long written terms from the brand's own site are the best signal there is that a company expects its product to last. Our lifetime warranty brands list sorts the real ones from the marketing.
- Check for spare parts and manuals before you buy, not after it breaks. iFixit's repairability scores are a good second opinion for electronics; our long-lasting tech list favors devices with replaceable batteries.
- Prefer fewer electronics. Every chip and touch panel is a new way to fail. A mechanical timer outlives a digital one; a cast iron pan outlives any nonstick coating.
- Use your rights. If you live in a right-to-repair state, ask the maker for the part or the manual. If they say no, tell your attorney general.
- Buy it once, and look after it. Durable things still need care. The point is to choose the products that reward it.
Your questions, answered
What is planned obsolescence, in one sentence?
It is designing or managing a product so that it stops working, or stops feeling worth keeping, sooner than it needs to, so that you buy another one.
Is planned obsolescence illegal in the United States?
No, not as such. There is no federal or state law in the US that bans designing a product to wear out. What is illegal is the deception that often comes with it: hiding that a software update slows your device, or misleading you about how long something will last. That is how Apple ended up paying up to $500 million to settle a US class action, and $113 million to 34 states, over iPhones that were slowed by updates. The nearest thing to a ban is the growing set of state right-to-repair laws, which force makers to sell parts, tools and manuals.
Where is planned obsolescence illegal?
France made it a criminal offense in 2015, with penalties of up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 euros or 5% of annual turnover. In 2020 France's consumer watchdog fined Apple 25 million euros for not telling iPhone owners that updates could slow their phones, and in 2018 Italy's competition authority fined Apple 10 million euros and Samsung 5 million euros over updates that slowed older phones. Across the EU, the Right to Repair Directive takes effect on July 31, 2026.
Which US states have right-to-repair laws?
As of mid-2026, 13 states have some form of right-to-repair law. Consumer electronics are covered in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington; Maine and Massachusetts cover cars; Colorado, Maryland, Nevada and Washington cover powered wheelchairs; Colorado covers farm equipment. Oregon was the first to ban parts pairing, the trick of software-locking a replacement part so it will not work in your device, and Washington followed. There is still no federal right-to-repair law.
What is the difference between planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence?
Planned obsolescence is about the thing breaking or being made unusable: a sealed battery, a part you cannot buy, an update that slows it down. Perceived (or psychological) obsolescence is about making you unhappy with something that still works perfectly well: a new color every season, a new model every year. Fast fashion runs on the second kind.
Is planned obsolescence real or a conspiracy theory?
It is real, and the most famous case is documented in court. In 1924 the big light bulb makers formed the Phoebus cartel, which set a 1,000-hour target life for bulbs and fined members whose bulbs lasted longer; a 1953 US antitrust case against General Electric found it had conspired with other lightbulb makers. That said, not every short-lived product is a plot. Most of it is quieter: cheap parts, glued-shut cases, no spares, and a business model that profits when you rebuy.
How can I avoid planned obsolescence?
Before you buy, ask four questions. What part usually kills this kind of product, and has this maker done anything about it? Can I buy that part, and fit it myself? What does the warranty cover, in the maker's own words, and for how long? Will I still like it in ten years? Brands that publish spare parts and long written warranties are betting their own money that the product lasts. Our lifetime warranty brands list is a good place to start.
Sources
Faegre Drinker, "Unlocking the right to repair: the expanding compliance landscape" (July 2026); Fieldfisher, "Incoming EU right to repair requirements" (2026); University of Richmond Journal of Law and Technology, "Born to Die: Planned Obsolescence and the Lack of Legal Recourse" (February 2026); TechCrunch on the $113 million 34-state settlement (November 2020); Italy's AGCM decision reported by The Local Italy (October 2018); France's DGCCRF fine on Apple (February 2020). Found something out of date? Tell us at contact@buymeonce.com.
