Smartphones sold in India will require a standardised charging connector which is likely to be the widely-used USB Type-C port, according to a report. This new rule is said to be aimed at enabling users to use a single cable to charge multiple devices.
The Indian government is reportedly thinking of standardising the charging connector on smartphones and tablets sold in India, much like the EU regulations that were announced in 2022. According to a Livemint story, the new rule aims to require all tablets and smartphones sold in India to utilise a single charging connector. It is anticipated that this rule will take effect by June 2025.
According to the report, laptops that are sold in the nation may soon be subject to the law as well. As of right now, wearables, audio gadgets, and feature phones are not covered by the stated restriction.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is expected to mandate that device makers standardise smartphone and tablet charging connectors in the near future. Laptops will be subject to this regulation as well, while it is anticipated that laptop use will begin in 2026. The USB Type-C connection is the charging port that this rule is taking into consideration. The regulation's stated goal is to lessen the amount of electronic trash produced by users' need for various connections and adapters when devices' charging ports aren't standardised.
The majority of Android smartphones today are connected via a USB Type-C port, however certain tablets and peripherals still require a microUSB charger. Since the release of the iPhone 15 series, the majority of Apple iPhones and the new iPads have switched to Type-C chargers. However, certain MacBook models have switched to Type-C charging, while others still use MagSafe.
The EU regulation that was released in 2022 essentially pushed Apple to modify the charging connectors on their smartphones. Then, the European Union made it mandatory for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, audio equipment, portable consoles, and speakers to use USB Type-C as the standard charging connector.
Currently, there isn’t a solid timeline on when the new mandate will come into effect, but from what we know, this will start to apply for at least smartphones and tablets by June next year.