BIS sets new quality rules for mobile screen guards, effective April 1, 2027

The central government has brought tempered glass and screen protectors that guard mobile phone screens under BIS standards, in a move aimed at curbing substandard screen guards sold in the market and encouraging more domestic production.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued a notification on September 21 in this regard. Under it, smartphone screen protectors have been added to the list of products under the Electronics and Information Technology Goods Order, 2021. The screen protector is the 66th product to be notified under this rule. Smartphones, laptops, chargers, LED TVs and printers have already been brought under BIS standards earlier.

The new rules for smartphone screen protectors will become mandatory from April 1, 2027. The deadline has been set to give companies and importers enough time to set up production and supply systems in line with the new quality standards. Until then, customers can continue to buy tempered glass or screen guards as before. But once the rules take effect, buyers are expected to get clearer information about the quality of screen protectors available in the market.

Under the new BIS standards, the quality and safety of screen protectors will be tested. Quality benchmarks will be set for how much impact a screen guard should be able to withstand if the phone is dropped. It will also be necessary to ensure that if the glass shatters, the fragments do not fly off in different directions and injure the user. Emphasis has been placed on safety standards requiring that the glass fragments remain held together after breaking.

Various features used in screen protectors will also come under the rules. These include features such as fingerprint resistant coating, anti-glare finish and blue light filter. In addition, the packaging will need to clearly mention the brand name, batch number, date of manufacture, the correct thickness of the screen glass and the BIS mark.

Pankaj Mohindroo, president of industry body ICEA, said BIS certification will help curb substandard foreign and domestic products. According to him, these rules can help control the substandard local and foreign screen protectors available in the market. This will give domestic manufacturers a level playing field and is expected to boost Indian smartphone accessories manufacturing.

Overall, once these rules take effect, customers are expected to get clearer information about the quality of mobile screen guards. However, how the new rules are actually implemented and what effect they have on the prices of products available in the market will only become clear after April 1, 2027.