Apple will issue iOS update to appease France over RF exposure row

Assorted iPhone 12 models

To avoid a recall of all the iPhone 12 units sold in France, Apple has announced that it will address concerns over radiation exposure limits with an update.

It's currently not possible to buy an iPhone 12 in France following the country's regulator imposing a temporary ban. The country's Agence nationale des frequences (ANFR) says that the iPhone 12 exceeds the allowed Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) for RF exposure.

Apple denies the claim and has said that it will contest the results of this ANFR testing. Apple also said it has provided the agency with documentation from multiple international regulators, reports from all of which say Apple is in compliance with the limits.

Now, though, Reuters reports that Apple will release an update to iOS to address France's concerns.

"We will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators," said Apple in a statement seen by Reuters. "We look forward to iPhone 12 continuing to be available in France."

"The ANFR is preparing to quickly test this update," said the agency in a statement. If the iPhone 12 passes the test, France will lift the ban.

While the ANFR did not provide details of its methodology for testing the phone, its concern has prompted Belgium to investigate it too. A spokesperson for the country said that the update was welcome, but that testing would continue.

Even if the French testing is accurate, there has never been any danger of injury to users. Legal limits are set far, far lower than any threshold for possible damage, and the 5.4 W/kg result that the new round of testing provided just slightly exceeds the 4 W/kg that is the legal standard for the on-contact test done here.

Earlier, the agency said that the test done from 5 centimeters was within legal limits. Regardless, the World Health Organization is clear that there isn't any indication that cellphones can damage tissue at any power.

"Considering the very low exposure levels and research results collected to date, there is no convincing scientific evidence that the weak RF signals from base stations and wireless networks cause adverse health effects," the WHO has said for years. The US Food and Drug Administration agrees.

Apple will have been more concerned about the possibility of having to recall all iPhone 12 models sold, than it would about continuing to sell the device. Following the launch of the iPhone 15 on September 12, 2023, Apple dropped the iPhone 12 from sale.

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10 Comments

petri 121 comments · 11 Years

About 7 months ago

As always AI falls over itself to defend Apple, but a reading of 5.4w/kg does not just “slightly exceed” the legal limit, it’s 35% higher. Regardless of what margin there may be between the legal limit and a harmful effect, ignoring it to the tune of 35% is unacceptable.

If you go 35% faster than the speed limit, you’d best expect you’re going to be booked for it.

Assuming it isn’t just a faulty test (and that seems pretty unlikely) Apple have some explaining to do. An iOS update now is all well and good, but this is a three year old phone which may well have been breaking the law for three years.

beowulfschmidt 2141 comments · 12 Years

About 7 months ago

"You will comply with our nonsensical demands. You will acknowledge that we hold the power."

polish 25 comments · 10 Years

About 7 months ago

petri said:

As always AI falls over itself to defend Apple, but a reading of 5.4w/kg does not just “slightly exceed” the legal limit, it’s 35% higher. Regardless of what margin there may be between the legal limit and a harmful effect, ignoring it to the tune of 35% is unacceptable.

If you go 35% faster than the speed limit, you’d best expect you’re going to be booked for it.

Assuming it isn’t just a faulty test (and that seems pretty unlikely) Apple have some explaining to do. An iOS update now is all well and good, but this is a three year old phone which may well have been breaking the law for three years.

It sounds as if France has done the equivalent of measuring the speed of an approaching car while accelerating towards it. They have measured a completely implausible usage scenario of six minutes straight talking without drawing breath or the other person saying anything (the phone does not transmit when you're not taking) at full power. Not just that, they appear to be estimating the electromagnetic radiation from the heat generated, ignoring the fact that a phone used on full power for that time touching a dummy head will exhibit thermal radiation and conductivity as well.

SxyGayjust 30 comments · 8 Years

About 7 months ago

petri said:

As always AI falls over itself to defend Apple, but a reading of 5.4w/kg does not just “slightly exceed” the legal limit, it’s 35% higher. Regardless of what margin there may be between the legal limit and a harmful effect, ignoring it to the tune of 35% is unacceptable.

They made up their own testing protocol. Apple used and passed the standard testing protocols. As usual, it's France that's being ridiculous.

dewme 5376 comments · 10 Years

About 7 months ago

petri said:

As always AI falls over itself to defend Apple, but a reading of 5.4w/kg does not just “slightly exceed” the legal limit, it’s 35% higher. Regardless of what margin there may be between the legal limit and a harmful effect, ignoring it to the tune of 35% is unacceptable.

If you go 35% faster than the speed limit, you’d best expect you’re going to be booked for it.

Assuming it isn’t just a faulty test (and that seems pretty unlikely) Apple have some explaining to do. An iOS update now is all well and good, but this is a three year old phone which may well have been breaking the law for three years.

Definitely not the case on your last point. The iPhone 12 was previously tested and it passed. This is probably why French regulators stated from the beginning of this "controversy" that Apple would very likely be able to resolve this quickly with a software update. The media reports regarding this have been far more alarmist than the statements made by the regulators, which come across in a more pragmatic tone that nobody is really at risk here, but "the rules are the rules" and they're going to hold Apple to their requirements.

It also sounds like the out-of-spec measurements are only seen during a very specific phase of the phone establishing a connection to a cell tower. This also sounds like the non-compliant measurements are specific to the French agency's unique test methodology since the iPhone 12 has passed standards for RF emissions requirements worldwide. So no, this is not something that's been going unnoticed for three years, not even in France.

In the meantime, if you are truly worried about your iPhone 12 leading to heatstroke or localized warming - don't duct tape your iPhone 12 directly to your face or your thigh, or any other heat-sensitive parts of your body until Apple issues an update. Heat is the only concern here since this is non-ionizing radiation we're talking about.