Apple is preparing a software update to address alleged radiation concerns about the three-year-old iPhone 12s after French regulators said the phone exceeded proper radiation levels. France stopped selling smartphones after recommendations from the country’s radiation watchdog (ANFR), but Cupertino denied the allegations and seemed to place the responsibility on the country’s testing protocols in Europe,
To that end, Apple reiterates that it is not a safety concern and announces that the phone has been certified by several international bodies that comply with global radiation standards. The software update will not adjust radiation levels, as that is a hardware issue, but it will “accommodate the protocol used by French regulators.” So it seems Apple thinks the software patch is enough to allow the iPhone 12s to sail through future radiation tests, saying it expects “the iPhone 12 to continue to be available in France.”
France changed its regulations in 2020. It adds consideration for the extremities, such as the hands, when testing the level of radiation and the rate of radio frequency energy absorbed by the body by using a particular equipment. It’s called the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR.) During the country’s recently sponsored SAR tests, regulators found that the iPhone 12s exceeded normal levels of energy absorption when holding the phone, even yet to pass the test when considering the head and body.
Belgium and Denmark have both backed Apple here, with the Belgian minister for digitalisation, Mathieu Michel, saying local tests were “reassuring” and recommending against suspending sales. This was followed by Denmark’s Safety Authority, which suggested it had no concerns about radiation levels in the iPhone 12s. Industry experts have also weighed in, saying the findings show there is no risk of burns or heatstroke from phone radiation.
France has said that Apple’s software fix should be sufficient and that they will continue testing as soon as it arrives, according to a Apple regularly drops software updates for its iPhones, so it should show up in the near future. In the meantime, the company is focusing its energy from the three-year-old iPhone 12 and on
