Apple’s iPhone 12 is removed from sale in France due to wave issue

The iPhone 12 has been removed from sale in France after it was found to emit higher electromagnetic waves than are permitted by law.

Due to the possible risk to users, the government has also threatened to order the recall of all iPhone 12s sold in France if its manufacturer, Apple, does not do anything to reduce the strength of the waves.

However, according to Digital Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, the problem should be fixed with a simple update.

A specialised agency, ANFR (L'Agence Nationale des Fréquences), made the decision to remove the phone from the market after it made the discovery about the level of emissions.

“The rule is the same for everyone”, Mr Barrot said.

The strength of the waves of the iPhone 12 exceeds, by 1.74 W per kilogram, the regulatory limit for the energy that can acceptably be absorbed by the human body when the phone is held in the hand, according to EU standards.

The details are set to be passed on to other European countries, which Mr Barrot suggested could start a “snowball effect”.

Apple has two weeks to fix the error.

While Apple works to deal with the problem, the minister sought to reassure people that the maximum strength of waves allowed in the EU is 10 times less than the level which could lead to consequences for users according to scientific studies.

Meanwhile, the WHO (World Health Organisation) said that “for now, nothing indicates that exposure to low-intensity electromagnetic fields is dangerous for human health".

Read also: How virtual reality is creating new opportunities for French tourism

According to Mr Barrot, the measure to remove the phones from sale is a standard procedure which has already applied to numerous other devices.

The ANFR frequently orders companies to reduce the waves emitted by their smartphones, and usually the company issues a device update before the phones are pulled from the market.

The announcement came on Tuesday, the same day that the new iPhone 15 was unveiled.

The new model is the first to use a universal charger; a USB-C charging port.

This will bring the phone in line with every other modern smartphone, computer, tablet, camera, and headphones.

Read also

Village tries out AI cameras - and stops 8 fires in south of France

Steep rise in use of medical video chat booths in French pharmacies

14 things you can do in a tabac apart from buy cigarettes