Apple ordered to stop selling iPhone 12 in France due to high levels of electromagnetic radiation

A French government watchdog agency this week asked tech giant Apple to remove the iPhone 12 from the French market after determining it emits too much electromagnetic radiation.

The National Frequency Agency (ANFR) ordered Apple “to implement all available means to quickly remedy this malfunction” or risk having to recall phones already sold in France.

The agency is responsible for monitoring radio equipment and public exposure to electromagnetic waves.

She recently checked the specific absorption rates (SAR) of 141 phones sold in France, including the Apple iPhone 12. SAR measures the rate of radiofrequency energy absorbed by the human body.

Agency agents will verify that this version of the iPhone is no longer sold in France. Several French telecommunications stores removed the iPhone from their online sales on Wednesday.

“For phones already sold, Apple must take corrective measures as quickly as possible to bring the affected phones into compliance. Otherwise, it will be up to Apple to recall them,” the press release specifies. ANFR said in a statement.

“Waves may vary during software update”

Jean-Noël Barrot, French minister in charge of digital, wrote in a social media post that the waves may change after the release of the phone depending on the updates.

“The wave levels emitted by smartphones can vary during a software update. It is undoubtedly because of an update after its release that the iPhone 12 exceeded the authorized threshold. And it’s a simple update that will bring it back into compliance,” he writes. .

Euronews Next has contacted Apple for a response to the French watchdog’s recommendation.

Phones are analyzed both when they are close to the body – in the hand or in the pocket – and at a distance of 5 millimeters – such as in a bag.

The limit when the phone is on your person is 4 watts per kilogram (W/kg), but the iPhone 12 was 5.74 W/kg, the watchdog said. The phone however did not cross the threshold when it was remote.

This level is “more than ten times lower than the level at which there would be a health risk,” Barrot wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

ADVERTISEMENT

“But the rule is the rule: Apple must comply.”