Apple Lobbies for Delay or Exemption from India's USB-C Charging Rule

The tech giant warns that the new regulation could disrupt its production targets under India's production-linked incentive program.

Apple is lobbying India to delay the implementation of a rule requiring all smartphones sold in the country to have a USB-C charging port, or to exempt older iPhones from the requirement.
Other manufacturers, including Samsung, have agreed to India's plan for a universal USB-C charging port on their smartphones by June 2025.
Apple argues that if the rule is applied to older iPhones, the company would not be able to meet production targets set out by India's production-linked incentive (PLI) program.
Apple suppliers such as Foxconn have taken advantage of the PLI program to boost iPhone production in India, with estimates suggesting that between 12 and 14 percent of iPhones made this year will be manufactured in India.
Apple has told officials that it can't change the design of earlier iPhones to include a USB-C port and would need 18 months beyond the end of 2024 to comply with the regulation.