By French regulators on Tuesday issued a warning that will be disturbing to millions of people across the world. France’s radiation watchdog ANFR announced that the selling of Apple’s Iphone 12 will no longer be legal in the country because of how much radiation it gives off to users.
“The country’s regulatory authority on radio frequencies has presented the company with a formal notice to withdraw the model from sale and to bring the iPhone 12 units already sold in the region into compliance. This is because the iPhone 12 exceeds the SAR limits specified by France’s regulations, wrote one tech outlet.
As the iPhone 15 has been launched, Apple has already trimmed its portfolio worldwide, with the iPhone 12 no longer being officially sold by the company anywhere. However, this regulatory decision would affect any residual stock in France, including carriers and third-party retailers.
Further, Apple must make iPhone 12 devices already sold in the region compliant with the permissible SAR limits. Apple has fifteen days to roll out an update to achieve this.
The ANFR seems confident that the company could bring the electromagnetic waves transmitted by this particular phone under control. But suppose it doesn’t; in that case, Apple might be forced to issue a recall for the iPhone 12, as mentioned by Le Parisien, quoting the concerned government official. Even further, the measures could be extended to the European Union as the ANFR has transmitted its findings to similar governing bodies across the continent.
The ANFR, wrote Barron’s, “said accredited labs had found absorption of electromagnetic energy by the body at 5.74 watts per kilogram during tests simulating when the phone was being held in the hand or kept in a pocket.
The European standard is a specific absorption rate of 4.0 watts per kilogram in such tests.
‘Concerning phones already sold, Apple must in the briefest of delays take corrective measures to bring the affected phones into compliance,” said the ANFR in a statement on its website. ‘Otherwise, Apple will have to recall them.’
ANFR said its agents would verify beginning Wednesday that that iPhone 12 models were no longer being offered for sale in France.
When contacted by AFP, Apple insisted in a statement that it is compliant with exposure limits and would continue to engage with the French regulator to demonstrate that.”
France’s junior minister for the digital economy, Jean-Noel Barrot, revealed the finding to the newspaper Le Parisien during an interview. He stated that a software update could likely fix the radiation problem in the iPhone 12.
“Apple is expected to respond within two weeks. If they fail to do so, I am prepared to order a recall of all iPhones 12 in circulation. The rule is the same for everyone, including the digital giants,” the minister added.
The European Union has been cautious about radiation levels from cell phones and, according to Mint, “established safety standards for Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) values associated with mobile phone exposure, and there have been scientific studies suggesting a potentially elevated risk of certain cancer types due to these values.
The French regulatory authority will share its discoveries with regulatory bodies in other EU member states. Jean-Noel Barrot remarked.
‘In practical terms, this decision could have a snowball effect,’ said Barrot.
In 2020, France expanded its regulations mandating retailers to disclose radiation levels on product packaging, extending beyond cell phones to include tablets and various electronic device.”
The Iphone 12 is one of the most popular mobile phones of all time. In 2021, the series’ cumulative global sales crossed the 100 million units. “The series was able to achieve this feat in the seventh month after its launch, which is two months earlier than the iPhone 11 series and almost the same as the iPhone 6 series that helped Apple achieve its first volume super-cycle at the cusp of 4G transition,” noted 9to5Mac.
The announcement came as Apple introduced its latest model of phone, the Iphone 15. “The standard iPhone 15 will start at $799, while the larger 15 Plus starts at $899. The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999, and the larger iPhone Pro Max starts at $1,199.
All four iPhone models will be available for preorder Sept. 15 and available in stores Sept. 22,” reported USA Today.
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