The matter is taken very seriously by the Minister for Digital. The iPhone 12 “slightly” exceeds – says the minister – the electromagnetic wave emission threshold set by the European authorities. The National Frequency Agency (ANFR), which controls all phones placed on the market in France, issued a press release asking Apple to “implement all available means to quickly remedy this dysfunction. The American giant has two weeks to return to compliance.
In the meantime, what should you do if you own an iPhone 12? It is important to note first of all that only this model is affected. In other words, the problem of electromagnetic waves absorbed by the human body has not been reported on any other iPhone series, nor on the iPhone 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max and 12 Mini models.
If this problem was only spotted today even though the phone has been on the market since 2020, it is because the flow rate of electromagnetic waves can vary depending on updates to the device. “In this specific case, it is undoubtedly due to a software update (well) after the release of the iPhone 12 that the level found itself slightly higher than the standard,” explained the minister. Digital delegate, Jean-Noël Barrot.
The latter also recalled on France Info, Wednesday morning, that the limit values on electromagnetic waves set by Europe are “ten times lower than the threshold from which scientific studies estimate that exposure can have consequences on health “. There is therefore no health risk a priori, despite the alert issued by the authorities. Owners of this iPhone model “can continue to use it,” said the minister.
A simple update will be enough to lower the levels of electromagnetic wave emissions below European regulatory thresholds, he explained. But the brand with the bitten apple, highlighted for the first time by the ANFR, contests these conclusions for the moment. “I have confidence in the company’s sense of responsibility to comply with our rules. My mission is to make them respected. If it does not do so, I am ready to order the recall of iPhone 12s in circulation,” insisted Jean-Noël Barrot to Le Parisien.
Until then, let us remind those who might be tempted to use anti-wave accessories that their usefulness has never been proven by scientists. Worse, certain devices could even accentuate the effects of these emissions on the human body.