Apple ordered to stop selling iPhone 12s over radiation fears
This week was certainly a big one for Apple as the tech company revealed its latest lineup of gadgets at the annual 'Apple Event'.
On Tuesday (12 September), Tim Cook and co announced the brand new iPhone 15 lineup, while also deep diving into the latest series of Apple Watch.
While that may be all exciting, Apple is currently facing problems with one of its older phones, the iPhone 12.
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The iPhone 12 first hit the market in 2020 and is largely regarded as one of Apple's more favoured phones in recent years.
However, according to a report from Reuters, Apple has been asked to cease selling the model in France due to a new discovery.
France's junior minister for the digital economy, Jean-Noel Barrot, told news outlet Le Parisien that the iPhone 12 is above threshold radiation levels.
The nation's radiation authority ANFR informed Apple that sales of iPhone 12 would need to be halted in France after conducting tests on the device.
As per a report by Reuters, it found the device's Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) was higher than is permitted by law.
"Apple is expected to respond within two weeks," the government official said.
"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."
However, the minister went on to say that a simple software update would be sufficient to fix such radiation issues.
Non-ionising radiation is produced by iPhones and many other smartphones, though it lacks energy to ionise atoms or molecules.
Regulatory bodies in several nations have defined exposure limits for RF radiation, the type present in the mobile phones used everyday.
Restrictions are put in place to ultimately protect our health, and possible implications from prolonged exposure to RF radiation from mobile phones has been the subject of many studies.
Several, in fact, have found a connection between high SAR values and certain forms of cancer.
However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has previously quashed fears about radiation emitted by mobile phones, reiterating there is no evidence to suggest it's harmful to humans.
On the other hand, scientists have said there is very little known about safety risks from pre-1990s, as a small number of the population owned a mobile phone back then.
While Apple has been ordered to stop selling the iPhone 12 in France, it has confirmed to LADbible that a software update for users is on the way.
An Apple spokesperson told LADbible: "This is 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 recognised as meeting or exceeding all applicable SAR regulations and standards around the world.
"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."
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Topics: Apple, Technology, Phones
Callum Jones