Apple to update iPhone 12 in France over radiation

Apple will update the iPhone 12 in France after regulators raised concerns over electromagnetic radiation emitted by the devices, the country’s digital minister and the firm said on Friday.

France had ordered a halt to sales of the device, released in 2020, on Tuesday after finding that the model emitted more electromagnetic waves than permitted.

“Apple has assured me that it will implement an update for the iPhone 12 in the next few days,” said digital minister Jean-Noel Barrot in a statement to AFP.

Both the firm and Barrot insisted there was no danger to public health from the radiation.

“This is related to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern,” Apple said in a statement, adding that the device complied with rules on emissions all around the world.

“We will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators.”

On Tuesday, Barrot gave the US tech giant two weeks to issue an update to its phone, which was coming to the end of its career as a front-line Apple product.

He said the agency in charge of testing, the ANFR, would quickly assess the update and he would then decide whether to lift the ban on sales.

The World Health Organization has said several studies have been conducted in the field and “no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use”.

© 2023 AFP