Apple to issue iPhone 12 update in France after sales halted over radiation levels
MIAMI -- Apple plans to update iPhone12 software for users in France after the country's regulators ordered a pause on sales of the 2020 model over radiation concerns.
"We will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators. We look forward to iPhone 12 continuing to be available in France," an Apple (AAPL) spokesperson told CNN Friday.
France's National Frequency Agency, the ANFR, ordered Tuesday an immediate withdrawal of the iPhone 12 from the French market, saying it exceeded European radiation exposure limits. The ANFR also ruled that for iPhone 12s already in use, Apple must adopt "all necessary corrective measures to bring the telephones into conformity as soon as possible" or it would have to recall the devices.
Apple told CNN Friday that the suspension of sales was related "to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern."
"Since it was introduced in 2020, iPhone 12 has been certified and recognized as meeting or exceeding all applicable SAR regulations and standards around the world," Apple said.
SAR is a measure of the rate of energy absorption by the body from the source being measured, according to the French regulator. But experts and regulators generally say not to worry.
"After discussions and as requested by the ANFR, Apple has assured me that it will be rolling out an update for the iPhone 12 in the next few days," France's minister for the digital economy Jean-Noel Barrot posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Friday.
The French regulator is preparing to rapidly test this update, "which will eventually bring the model in line with the European standards applied in France" and subsequently allow Apple to resume sales, he added.
The sales suspension came on the same day Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Pro, its newest iterations of the iconic product, at its annual keynote event in California.