Apple moves to defuse French dispute over iPhone 12 radiation levels

Apple CEO Tim Cook with an iPhone 12. France this week suspended sales of iPhone 12 handsets after tests which it said found breaches of radiation exposure limits.

Apple pledged on Friday to update software on iPhone 12s in France to settle a dispute over radiation levels, but concerns in other European countries signalled it may have to take similar action elsewhere.

France this week suspended sales of iPhone 12 handsets after tests which it said found breaches of radiation exposure limits.

Apple contested the findings, saying the iPhone 12 was certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with global standards, but said on Friday it would issue a software update to accommodate the testing methods used in France.

Researchers have conducted a vast number of studies over the last two decades to assess the health risks of mobile phones. According to the World Health Organisation, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by them.

But the radiation warning in France, based on results of tests that differ from those carried out in other countries, has prompted concerns across Europe.

The French government welcomed Apple's software update, saying it would be swiftly tested and should allow for sales of the relatively old iPhone 12 model, launched in 2020, to resume.

"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," Apple said in a statement.

Apple routinely provides software updates for its phones and computers, mostly to fix a security issue. They can be focused on a particular model or a region.

France's Agence Nationale des Frequences (ANFR) said the iPhone 12's Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) — a measure of the rate of radiofrequency energy absorbed by the body from a piece of equipment — was higher than legally allowed, which prompted the sale suspension.

A big concern would have been a potential recall, which France had threatened if Apple had refused to do a software update.

Apple's revenues totalled about $95bn (€89bn) in Europe last year, making the region its second biggest behind the Americas. Some estimates say it sold more than 50 million iPhones last year in Europe.

The US company does not break out its sales by country or model.