According to a report by TechCrunch, the company is set to address France’s radiation regulator’s concerns with a software update for the iPhone 12.
In a statement to the media, an Apple spokesperson said: “We will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators. We look forward to the iPhone 12 continuing to be available in France. This is related to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern.”
It is important to note that a software update won’t be able to adjust radiation levels, as that would be a hardware issue. However, Apple thinks that the software patch will be enough to allow the iPhone 12s to pass through future radiation tests. The company also looks forward to the iPhone 12 being available in France.
Why iPhone 12 failed radiation test in France
Previously, Apple has mentioned that the iPhone 12 failing the radiation test in France isn’t a safety concern and noted that the phone was certified by multiple international bodies to be compliant with global radiation standards.
Whenever a brand launches a new phone, France’s ANFR measures several Specific Absorption Rates (SAR) in its labs. It is a common process for hardware makers to offer their devices to get tested by different radiation agencies around the world.
For example, the EU says that a human body shouldn’t receive more than 2W/kg of radiation over 10g of tissue. This testing is used to mimic what happens to a user’s head when they’re holding the phone to their ear.
Apple’s iPhone 12 is below this threshold. However, the ANFR started tracking another absorption rate for limbs in 2020. With this new measure, the French agency tries to understand what happens to a user’s hand when they’re holding the phone, or their leg when the phone is in their pants pocket.
In that testing, the ANFR noted a SAR of 5.74 W/kg for iPhone 12, which is above the limit of 4 W/kg.
Apple gets ‘help’ from other EU members
Meanwhile, other EU states have come to the aid of Apple. Belgian minister for digitalisation, Mathieu Michel, said that local tests were “reassuring” and recommended against a suspension of sales of iPhone 12.
On the other hand, Denmark’s Safety Authority suggested that it had no concerns regarding iPhone 12’s radiation levels. Other industry experts have also stated that the findings indicated no risk of burns or heatstroke occurring from the phone’s radiation.