Similar to the European Union (EU) rules announced in 2022, the Indian government is now reportedly considering standardizing the charging ports of smartphones and tablets sold in India. According to a report by Livemint, the new rule aims to make it mandatory for all tablets and smartphones sold in India to use a common charging port. The rule is expected to come into effect by June 2025. The report also suggests that the rule may eventually apply to laptops sold in the country as well. The reported rule currently does not cover feature phones, audio products, and wearable devices.

According to the report, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will soon ask device manufacturers to standardize charging ports for smartphones and tablets. This rule will also apply to laptops, but for laptops it is expected to be implemented in 2026. The charging port being considered for this rule is the USB Type-C connector.

The reason behind this rule is reportedly to reduce e-waste that is generated due to the variety of cables and adapters that users require when charging ports for different devices are not standardized.

Currently, while most Android smartphones use a USB Type-C connector, some tablets and accessories still use microUSB chargers. Apple iPhones have mostly moved to Type-C chargers since the iPhone 15 series, and newer iPads too. But some models of MacBooks are still using MagSafe charging, while some have moved to Type-C.

The change in the charging port on Apple devices is due to a European Union rule that came in 2022. The EU then mandated that USB Type-C should be the standard charging port in smartphones, tablets, cameras, audio products, handheld consoles, and speakers.

This is not the first time we have heard that the Indian government is considering such a rule. In November 2022, another report by NDTV claimed that a task force had been formed that included representatives from industry associations, academic institutions, Varanasi and central government ministries, as well as smartphone brands like Samsung and Apple, to consider implementing rules to standardise charging ports on devices sold in India.

Last year, the Indian government was also pressuring Apple to re-introduce older iPhones with USB-C ports, with Apple arguing that the move could hamper its local production goals. The initiative is in line with India’s contemplation of the European Union’s mandate for a universal USB-C charging port on smartphones.

At the moment, there is no concrete timeline of when the new order will come into effect, but from what we know, it will start applying to at least smartphones and tablets by June next year. The same rule may soon be applied to laptops sold in India, but reportedly it will only come into effect by 2026.