The cheap tempered glass you pick up for your smartphone is about to come under government quality rules. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has made Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification mandatory for smartphone screen protectors, effective April 1, 2027.
MeitY Mandates BIS Certification for Screen Protectors
MeitY issued the notification on September 21, 2026, adding "Screen Protectors for smartphones" to the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement of Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021.
This is the same framework already used for products like power banks, chargers and phone batteries. Screen protectors must now conform to IS 19348:2025, titled "Glass Screen Protector - Specification".
The new rule applies to both imported and domestically manufactured screen protectors. Importers, sellers and manufacturers have until March 31, 2027, to get certified.
Right now, anyone can sell a tempered glass protector in India without it being tested. That is why the market is flooded with Rs 99 glasses that crack on the first drop, leave bubbles, or make the display look hazy.
Under IS 19348:2025, certified protectors will have to pass a set of tests, including stress tests, depth of layer, visual and optical quality and dimensional tolerance. Reports indicate the standard also covers fragmentation behaviour, that is, how the glass breaks, which matters because low-quality glass tends to shatter into sharp splinters that can cut fingers.
As a result, prices of screen protectors from April 1, 2027, could see a sharp increase. Coupled with the already damaging RAM crisis, this could be a double blow for consumers. However, the BIS mark will add a layer of authentication, thus bringing better-quality and reliable screen protectors to the market.
Products certified under BIS's Compulsory Registration Scheme carry a Standard Mark with a registration number starting with "R-" followed by eight digits. You can enter that number in the BIS Care app or on the BIS registration website to confirm that the product and the manufacturer are genuine.
It is worth noting that the standard is specifically titled "Glass Screen Protector", and most reports describe the rule as applying to glass protectors. That suggests film, TPU and hydrogel protectors may not be covered, though the government has not explicitly clarified this.
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Why Government Wants BIS-Certified Screen Protetors?
The Indian screen protector market is estimated at around 500 million units a year, worth between Rs 12,000 crore and Rs 16,000 crore. Chinese imports currently dominate supply. Requiring certification makes it harder for untested, unbranded imports to compete and gives domestic manufacturers an opening.
The industry expects the move to create around 60,000 direct and indirect jobs and add roughly Rs 2,000 crore in GST revenue. One company already positioned for it is Optiemus Infracom, which has set up a production unit in Noida to make tempered glass using technology from Corning, the company behind Gorilla Glass.
The company expects shipments to begin in January 2027. Optiemus has already partnered with CMF, OnePlus, Realme and even Mivi.
That said, nothing changes for buyers until April 1, 2027. Until then, uncertified screen protectors will continue to be sold as usual. So, stay tuned.
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