Toni Hobrecht
While everything revolved around the iPhone 15 series in the last two weeks, the three-year-old Apple iPhone 12 came to the fore again in France. The National Frequency Agency (ANFR) found that the base model was emitting electromagnetic waves higher than permitted. This forced the regulator to ban Apple from selling the device in the local market. And oblige Apple to provide the appropriate software update.
A new report from ANFR states that the regulator has now approved the Apple iPhone 12 software update with version number 4.06.02. It has been tested by the French authority and has been proven to reduce the specific absorption rate (SAR) to a value of 3.94 W/kg. The press release states: “It is now up to Apple to distribute the new update to all iPhone 12 users in France.”
The EU standard for the SAR value of a device in your pocket is 4.0 watts per kilogram. The iPhone 12 was found to have a SAR value of 5.74 W/kg before the last update. Testing methods in France differ from those in other countries. They include limb SAR testing, i.e. holding the cell phone in the hand. The Apple iPhone 12 failed exactly in these tests. Interestingly, the Apple phone did not exceed the SAR limit when Apple introduced it in 2020. But the French authority also introduced updated SAR testing methods for limbs that year.
Officials from several EU member states, including Belgium, Germany and Italy, have previously asked Apple to release this update across the EU. So far there has been no reaction from Apple, so we can only wait and see.
