India requires USB-C on Phones and Concentrates on Wearables
By March 2025, USB-C charging will be necessary in the second-largest smartphone market in the world. India is also looking on a standardized charging method for fitness trackers and smartwatches.
According to a Business Standard report, mobile devices in India would be forced to use USB Type-C as the default charging connector for electronic devices by March 2025. In an effort to reduce e-waste, the European Union has passed laws requiring new smartphones and other portable devices sold within the EU to use USB-C charging by December 28th, 2024.
The prospect of mandating a standard charger for wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers is also being investigated by the Indian government. According to Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, "the government will develop two standard types of charging connectors for mobile phones and wearable electronic gadgets." Regarding the possible billing formats, no information has been given.
In 2019, India surpassed the US to overtake it as the second-largest smartphone market in the world. Currently, it is believed that more than 95% of the population utilizes Android-based mobile devices. iPhones still use the proprietary Apple Lightning port, despite the fact that most Android devices have switched to USB-C. Apple has lately had considerable sales growth in the location where it now produces the iPhone 14. Apple had resisted the EU's efforts to force the corporation to embrace the USB-C charging standard, but it has since made it clear that it will abide by the new regulations.
According to Rohit Kumar Singh, secretary to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the Bureau of Indian Guidelines is creating standards for two popular charger types: one for mobile devices and maybe another for wearable electronics like smartwatches. According to Business Standard, the Ministry of Environment may examine how having a standard charger for gadgets affects e-waste.
The need is in line with the European Union's directive, which established a deadline of December 28, 2024, for all smartphones sold in member nations to have USB-C charging ports.
All of Apple's iPhones and certain iPads have the company's own Lightning charging port, which it is hesitant to abandon. To comply with EU regulations, the business acknowledged that it will produce iPhones with a USB-C port.
The business doesn't seem too happy about it. At The Wall Street Journal's Tech Live conference, Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of global marketing, stated that the company will "clearly" be compelled "to comply" with the new rule. Apple, he continued, "doesn't mind governments telling us what they want to achieve," but the company's engineers are "very brilliant" and have previously come up with more effective solutions.
