The sale of iPhone 12 in France has been ordered to be stopped by Apple after it was found that it exposed individuals to an excessive amount of electromagnetic radiation, as declared by French authorities. The repercussions of this decision may extend to encompass various penalties within the European Union.
An agency tasked with monitoring radio equipment and public exposure to electromagnetic waves in France, demanded that the multinational technology company withdraw the iPhone 12 from the French market this week due to its emission of excessive electromagnetic radiation.
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A spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed that EU member states will have a duration of three months to raise objections against the ban imposed by France. Failure to object could result in EU-wide sanctions against the iPhone 12 produced by Apple. This is a direct result of the EU Directive on radio equipment.
The national frequency agency of France (ANFR) ordered Apple on Tuesday to “promptly rectify this defect through all available means” or else the company will be compelled to recall all the phones already sold in France.
The aforementioned agency is responsible for monitoring radio equipment and the extent of public exposure to electromagnetic waves.
As part of their recent examination on the specific absorption rate (SAR) of 141 phones sold in France, including the iPhone 12 manufactured by Apple, the agency utilizes SAR as a measure to gauge the rate at which radiofrequency energy is absorbed by the human body.
Agents from the agency will verify that this specific version of iPhone is no longer available for sale in France. By Wednesday, several French telecom stores had already removed iPhone 12 from their online inventories.
According to a statement by ANFR, “Apple must expeditiously implement corrective measures for the phones sold, in order to ensure compliance. Failing which, the responsibility of recalling these phones lies entirely with Apple.”
‘Fluctuations in waves during software updates’
In a social media post, Jean-Noel Barrot, France’s minister responsible for digital affairs, mentioned that the level of waves emitted from a smartphone can change upon the release of a software update.
He wrote, “The level of wave emitted from a smartphone can vary during a software update. There is no doubt that a post-release update has caused the iPhone 12 to exceed authorized limits. And this is a simple update That will bring it back into compliance.”
Apple responded by stating that the iPhone 12 adheres to all SAR rules and standards, and contested the findings of the ANFR review.
The French agency stated that phones were analyzed in close proximity to the body – either in the hand or pocket – as well as when they were at a distance of 5 millimeters, such as within a bag.
The regulatory body indicated that the authorized limit when the phone is in direct contact is 4 watts per kilogram (W/kg), whereas the iPhone 12 registered a measurement of 5.74 W/kg. However, it did not surpass the limit when the phone was located at a distance.
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“Although this level is less than ten times the level that would pose a health risk,” Barrot wrote on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, “the rules are the rules: Apple must comply.”
This article has been updated to include the response from Apple.
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