Following radiation concerns, Apple will upgrade its iPhone 12 in France, according to the nation’s digital minister Jean-Noel Barrot. He said that Apple will soon release a software update for consumers in the nation.
Following the discovery of excessive electromagnetic radiation by a regulator, sales of the iPhone 12 were stopped in France. Apple was ordered to resolve the problem. The company claimed that consumers in France, where, according to it, a special testing methodology existed, would be the beneficiaries of the latest version.
The American tech behemoth claimed the radiation results came from that testing process and were “not a safety concern.” Apple’s intentions for the iPhone 12, which was introduced barely three years ago, in other nations are called into doubt by the next upgrade.
Before resuming sales of the iPhone 12, Barrot stated that the radio frequency regulator (ANFR) will test the latest software to ensure compliance.
In the past, the World Health Organisation has worked to assuage concerns about the radiation that mobile phones generate. It claims on its website that there is insufficient data to draw the conclusion that human exposure to low-level electromagnetic fields is detrimental.
Apple explained the radiation discovery in France as “related to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern” in a statement to the AFP news agency.
The iPhone 12 conformed with emissions regulations everywhere, but it will “issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators,” according to the statement.
The ANFR earlier warned Apple that it would have to recall every iPhone 12 sold in the nation if the problem could not be fixed with a software update.
The regulator discovered that the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of the iPhone 12 was higher than what was permitted by French law.
In September 2020, Apple unveiled the iPhone 12, which is still available today. Apple earlier this week informed BBC News that it was appealing the ANFR’s evaluation.
It claimed to have given the regulator laboratory data from its own and outside sources, demonstrating that the device complied with all applicable regulations.
Barrot handed Apple a two-week deadline and expressed concern that there would be “a snowball effect” once other authorities in the European Union (EU) learned of France’s findings.
On Thursday, regulators from Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium announced they were now also looking into the situation.
The French probe may result in actions that would be applicable to all EU nations. With regard to the French prohibition, neither the UK nor the US have made any announcements.
