India mandates USB-C on phones, turns focus to wearables
India is following in the EU’s footsteps and will require all mobile devices to support USB-C charging by 2025. The country is also looking into a standardized charger for wearables. | Photo by Vlad Savov / The VergeMobile devices...
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Mobile devices in India will be required to adopt USB Type-C as the standard charging port for electronic products by March 2025, according to a report by Business Standard. This follows similar legislation being passed by the European Union which requires new smartphones and other portable devices sold within the EU to use USB-C charging by December 28th, 2024 in a move meant to combat e-waste.
The Indian government is also exploring the possibility of enforcing a standardized charger for wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. “The government will come up with two common types of charging ports for mobiles and wearable electronic devices,” said Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary to the Department of Consumer Affairs. No details have been provided regarding which charging format could be used.
Wearable chargers could also be unified in India under the new rules
India surpassed the US to become the world’s second-largest smartphone market back in 2019, and it’s currently estimated that over 95 percent of the country uses Android-based mobile devices. While most Android smartphones already use USB-C, iPhones still use the proprietary Apple Lightning port, and Apple has recently seen significant sales growth in the region where it now manufactures the iPhone 14. Apple previously pushed back against the EU’s attempts to make the company adopt the USB-C charging standard, but has since publicly confirmed it will comply with the new rules.
