A few days ago, the French National Frequency Agency (ANFR) banned the sale of the iPhone 12 in the country after it was found that the device radiates more than the electromagnetic waves allowed according to EU regulations. Its Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) exceeded the legal limit.
The agency gave Apple an ultimatum to quickly resolve the issue using “all means available” or face a recall of all iPhone 12s sold in France. Today, Apple responded by promising to issue a software update that resolves the dispute.
It’s unclear what exactly the software update will do, but Apple is confident it will alleviate the concerns of French government agencies and address the testing methods used in France. Unlike other countries, in France ANFR not only performs SAR tests on the head and body, but also on SAR tests on the limbs, such as when holding a mobile phone in the hand. It’s in these limbo tests that the iPhone 12 fails.
Apple said in a statement:
We will issue a software update for our users in France to accommodate the protocols used by French regulators. We look forward to continuing to sell iPhone 12 in France. This is related to the specific testing protocol used by French regulators and is not a safety issue.
Officials in Belgium, Germany, and Italy are asking Apple to distribute the update across the EU, and that’s likely to happen. The French government announced that the iPhone 12 will be retested promptly after the update is released, and if it is found to be within legal SAR limits, it will immediately resume sales.