In September, Apple had quite an eventful month. The tech giant wrapped up its highly anticipated Wonderlust event, during which it introduced its fresh lineup of iPhone 15s, the Apple Watch Ultra 2, an upgraded Apple Watch 9, along with new operating systems and more exciting developments.
One notable change, though not as flashy as the new gadgets, was Apple’s effort to adapt its charging technology. This adjustment came about after European Union regulators raised concerns about Apple’s proprietary chargers.
The European Union mandated that all new rechargeable devices, including mobile phones, tablets, cameras, headphones, gaming consoles, speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, and laptops with power delivery up to 100 watts, should feature a USB Type-C port.
This directive pushed Apple to rethink its charging methods, as a significant chunk of its iPhone sales comes from Europe, accounting for a substantial $95 billion in 2022, second only to the Americas.
Apple iPhone 12 radiation emission safety concerns in France
But Apple’s challenges in Europe didn’t end there. In September, France issued a warning, claiming that tests conducted on the iPhone 12 showed radiation emissions exceeding the country’s allowable limits.
France’s regulatory body, Agence nationale des fréquences, reported that the specific absorption rate (SAR), which measures radiation absorption in soft tissue, was 5.74 W/kg, surpassing the French limit of 4 W/kg.
The warning from France stated that Apple needed to take immediate action to rectify this noncompliance or face recalls of the affected equipment. Belgium and Germany also announced plans to investigate the safety of the iPhone 12.
In response, Apple vigorously defended its phones, asserting that the issue was related to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern.
However, to address users’ concerns, Apple pledged to release a software update specifically tailored for French users to align with the French testing protocol.
iPhone’s radiation emissions or SAR values
To check your iPhone’s radiation emissions, you can follow these steps:
- Open Settings.
- Navigate to General.
- Choose Legal & Regulatory.
- Select RF Exposure.
- Click the link at the bottom of the page to view the SAR value of your iPhone.
The French Digital Affairs Minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, expressed the government’s intention to test the updated iPhones for radiation levels, with the goal of resuming sales in France.
It remains unclear whether Apple will roll out similar software updates globally or limit them to concerned markets. As the iPhone 12 is now an older model, this situation might provide users with an incentive to upgrade to newer models or perhaps contemplate a move to the tranquil countryside in a cozy bunker.
