India May Force Apple to Adopt USB-C on iPhone After EU Passes Similar Law

India is making progress on a government proposal that would enforce a standard charger, USB-C, across all smartphones, tablets, and laptops, following in the footsteps of the EU, which just recently passed a similar law.

In a government press release, India's Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution secretary, Rohit Kumar Singh, said different government and private agencies held a meeting and a "broad consensus emerged among stakeholders on adoption of USB Type – C as a charging port for electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc." The press release added: "Further, it was deliberated that a different charging port may be adopted for feature phones."

India's consideration of mandating a common charger across consumer devices was previously reported on in August, however, it seems the government is moving forward with its proposal after initially saying it would explore the possibility of such a law.

If India does move forward with the proposed plan, it will follow in the European Union's footsteps, which recently passed a law that mandates USB-C across a wide range of consumer electronic devices by 2024. Apple's vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak, said in a recent event that Apple would have to comply with the EU's new law, indirectly confirming the iPhone will adopt USB-C in the near future.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes all iPhone 15 models will ditch the Lightning port in favor of USB-C, but only the higher-end models of the 2023 iPhone lineup will benefit from faster transfer speeds.