is reportedly lobbying India to delay the implementation of a govern that requires all smartphones sold in the country to have a USB-C charging port. While Apple has already started shifting away from the Lightning port (and other products), the regulation differs from a similar one in that India may press Apple to switch to a USB-C port on older iPhones.
Other manufacturers, including Samsung, have agreed to India’s scheme to have a universal USB-C charging port on their smartphones by June 2025, which is six months after the EU’s deadline (such OEMs have long been using USB-C charging ports anyway). Apple, however, is said to have pressed India to delay the implementation of the govern, or at least to exempt older iPhones from the requirement.
According to , Apple executives told Indian officials late last month that were the govern to be applied to older iPhones, the company would not be able to confront production targets as set out by the country’s production-linked incentive (PLI) program. Under this scheme, India grants electronic manufacturers financial incentives to make new investments and create incremental phone sales each year.
Apple suppliers such as Foxconn are said to have taken advantage of the program to . Estimates suggest that between 12 and 14 percent of iPhones made this year will be manufactured in India. That proportion could rise to as much as 25 percent next year, .
Apple is said to have told officials that it can’t change the design of earlier iPhones to include a USB-C port. The company reportedly argued that, unless it gains an exemption for pre-iPhone 15 models, it will need 18 months beyond the end of next year (i.e. until mid-2026) to comply with the regulation. That’s presumably to give Apple enough time to phase out Lightning ports on older iPhones, which Indian consumers tend to prefer since they fall in price when the company releases new models.
