Did You Know Your Battery Can Explode If Not Recycled Properly?

Remember carrying around a second battery for your flip phone so you could pop the fully charged one right in when the first one drained? Those were the good old days. Today, most of our high-end smartphones don't feature removable batteries—a real pain for iPhone owners who have to rely on Apple-authorized repair specialists to switch out a damaged or dying battery.

But now, leaked European Union legislative documents suggest the bloc is considering a proposal that would force all smartphone manufacturers to create phones with user-removable batteries. While it's not guaranteed the EU will run with the proposal, it does suggest some governments want to see users have more control over their devices.

If Apple has to eventually conform to such a rule, it could mean a rehab of the iPhone design. Features like its ultralight, slim design and even waterproofing could dissolve entirely. But the idea of user-removable iPhone batteries is cause for celebration. Here are five reasons why.