After smartphones, smartwatches could adopt a universal charging standard

Now that it’s clear that all phones will soon use the USB-C port, as both the EU and India have put forward laws forcing manufacturers to adopt the standard, the next devices targeted to adopt a single charging standard are smartwatches. While the EU is still not forcing manufacturers to create devices compatible with a particular technology, offering multiple options for wireless ones, India is moving in this direction and proposing a new law that aims to limit the amount of waste produced by these cables.

India is working on a law that would force smartwatch makers to adopt a universal charging standard

India’s Bureau of Standards is considering forcing manufacturers of wearable devices to use one of two standards for charging them. The Department of Consumer Affairs has already been talking to some of the manufacturers to find a way in which they could implement this new law as fairly as possible.

Since the USB-C standard is already used for some wearable devices, such as wireless headphones, it’s likely to be mandatory for those that use cables for charging. However, when it comes to wireless charging, each manufacturer uses different standards. Some use magnetic contacts for charging, others use proprietary wireless technologies, or even “regular” wireless charging via the Qi standard.

These variations lead to protracted discussions and could affect the production capacity of some brands, which would have to adopt new technologies they haven’t used before. Thus, India doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to adopt this law in the very near future. However, discussions have started and a conclusion could be reached.

So, most likely, if India adopts a final law for universal chargers for wearables devices, they will be launched in other regions also with the same charging systems, as it would be more expensive to create two separate variants. What’s more, India is the world’s second largest market for smartphones, and smartwatches only work alongside a phone. Thus, avoiding the launch of these devices in India to escape this law does not seem to be a solution for the manufacturing companies.