Apple to issue iPhone 12 update in France to address radiation row

Concerns over the device prompt other European regulators to launch own investigations

Apple insisted that the 12 model was safe and the phones had been certified in countries around the world since its introduction in 2020. EPA

Apple will issue a software update for iPhone 12 users in France after regulators there said the model went above its radiation exposure limits.

The US technology company was informed on Tuesday that tests by ANFR, the French agency that manages wireless communications frequencies, showed that the device emits electromagnetic waves that are above European standards.

Authorities ordered Apple to halt sales of the model and resolve the issue within two weeks or face a recall.

The company said on Friday that it would “issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators”. It did not elaborate.

But the radiation warning in France, based on results of tests that differ from those carried out in other countries, has prompted concerns across Europe.

Belgium said it would conduct its own review while Germany said it was in touch with French authorities to find a EU-wide solution. It was not immediately clear if that might include a software upgrade across the bloc.

Meanwhile, Italy is set to ask Apple to upgrade the software on iPhone 12s there, according to a government source.

The Dutch Authority for Digital Infrastructure said it was also conducting its own investigation, due in two weeks, and was in contact with Apple as well as German and French authorities. The agency said it had received calls from concerned consumers.

A customer shows her iPhone 12 in front of the Apple Store on the Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris. EPA

Apple insisted that the 12 model was safe and the phones had been certified in countries around the world since its introduction in 2020.

It said the problem raised by the French regulator was “related to a specific testing protocol.”

The French ban could have extended to all 27 EU countries after three months if Apple had refused to issue updates and if no other government objected, European Commission spokeswoman Sonya Gospodinova said on Thursday.

France’s Digital Affairs Minister said the iPhone 12’s radiation levels were still much lower than what scientific studies considered potentially harmful to users, and the radiation agency acknowledged that its tests did not reflect typical phone use.

The company was already phasing out the iPhone 12, which made its debut in 2020, and stopped selling it after it announced its iPhone 15 line on Tuesday.

As expected, four new devices were introduced – the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The range of phones will have USB-C connectivity for their first time, in what is the company's biggest hardware change since 2016.