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France demands Apple pull iPhone 12 due to high RF radiation levels

  • 13 September 2023
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Jasper_The_Rasper
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September 13, 2023 By Bill Toulas

 

France demands Apple pull iPhone 12 due to high RF radiation levels

The Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR) has asked Apple to withdraw iPhone 12 smartphones from the French market because the device emits radiofrequency energy that is beyond the limit permitted to be absorbed by the human body.

The agency tested over 140 mobile devices from various vendors to check for compliance with specific absorption rate (SAR) values.

SAR is a a measure of the rate of RF (radiofrequency) energy absorption by the body from a source that is measured, a mobile phone in this case. It provides a means to evaluate exposure to the transfer of energy by radio waves.

 

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TripleHelix
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Our Brains will fry… 🙃

Daniel - Windows 10 Pro x64 for Workstations 22H2 on my Alienware 17R2 and Alienware 17R5 Laptops with Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete Beta Tester for PC & Android Moto G9 Plus OS 11. "Take Them to the Train Station"
MajorHavoc
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Surprising since Apple does extensive RF testing and has to pass FCC tests as well. I’m curious also why just the 12, and not any phones before or after? I believe there is something else missing here. 

- Owen Rubin,  Apple Expert. Worked in Vision Pro team and early Mac HW and OS engineer at Apple. Machines: 2017 iMac Pro 27" 5K 3GHz 10-Core Xenon Sonoma 14.x. 2023 14" MacBookPro M2 Max Ventura 13.x, 2018 16" MacBookPro Ventura 13.x, and a dozen or so older machines for testing. iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 6.
TripleHelix
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Surprising since Apple does extensive RF testing and has to pass FCC tests as well. I’m curious also why just the 12, and not any phones before or after? I believe there is something else missing here. 

Well…

 

“The agency tested over 140 mobile devices from various vendors to check for compliance with specific absorption rate (SAR) values.”

Daniel - Windows 10 Pro x64 for Workstations 22H2 on my Alienware 17R2 and Alienware 17R5 Laptops with Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete Beta Tester for PC & Android Moto G9 Plus OS 11. "Take Them to the Train Station"
MajorHavoc
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Sorry, let me correct my statement: “...why not any other iPhones before or after the 12?”

I suspect that the phones are very similar in output. I also wonder how many of each phone they tried to make sure they did not just get a faulty one?

I am not saying this did not happen, I am just surprised to hear it knowing what Apple does in testing hardware. 

- Owen Rubin,  Apple Expert. Worked in Vision Pro team and early Mac HW and OS engineer at Apple. Machines: 2017 iMac Pro 27" 5K 3GHz 10-Core Xenon Sonoma 14.x. 2023 14" MacBookPro M2 Max Ventura 13.x, 2018 16" MacBookPro Ventura 13.x, and a dozen or so older machines for testing. iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 6.
TripleHelix
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Sorry, let me correct my statement: “...why not any other iPhones before or after the 12?”

I suspect that the phones are very similar in output. I also wonder how many of each phone they tried to make sure they did not just get a faulty one?

I am not saying this did not happen, I am just surprised to hear it knowing what Apple does in testing hardware. 

Who knows, time to do some research! 😣

Daniel - Windows 10 Pro x64 for Workstations 22H2 on my Alienware 17R2 and Alienware 17R5 Laptops with Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete Beta Tester for PC & Android Moto G9 Plus OS 11. "Take Them to the Train Station"
russell.harris
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It’s been said for years that phones will fry our brains and I remember my wife used to tell me to (back when we were dating many years ago) to stop keeping my phone near my groin for what the phone might fry!

Unless there’s medical proof from a person it’s hard to say but then it’s too late by then

"The only problem with troubleshooting is that sometimes trouble shoots back!"
TripleHelix
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Apple to update iPhone 12 in France over radiation

 

4 hours ago

 

iPhone 12Image source, Getty Images
By Tom Gerken
Technology reporter
 

Apple will update its iPhone 12 in France after fears about radiation, the country's digital minister says.

Jean-Noel Barrot said Apple would deliver a software update for users in the country in the coming days.

Sales of iPhone 12 were halted in France after a regulator detected too much electromagnetic radiation. Apple was told to fix the issue.

The firm said the new update would only apply to users in France, where it said a specific testing protocol existed.

The American tech giant suggested the radiation findings were a result of that testing regime, and that it was "not a safety concern".

The planned update raises questions over Apple's plans for iPhone 12, which was released just three years ago, in other countries.

 

Mr Barrot said that the radio frequency regulator (ANFR) would test the new update to check its compliance before iPhone 12 is allowed back on sale in the country.

The World Health Organization has previously sought to allay fears about radiation emitted by mobile phones.

It says on its website there is no evidence to conclude that exposure to low level electromagnetic fields is harmful to humans.

In a statement sent to AFP news agency, Apple said the radiation finding in France was "related to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern".

It said the iPhone 12 complied with emissions rules worldwide, but it would "issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators".

 

Full Article

Daniel - Windows 10 Pro x64 for Workstations 22H2 on my Alienware 17R2 and Alienware 17R5 Laptops with Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete Beta Tester for PC & Android Moto G9 Plus OS 11. "Take Them to the Train Station"
russell.harris
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I wonder what the update actually changes

"The only problem with troubleshooting is that sometimes trouble shoots back!"
TripleHelix
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I wonder what the update actually changes

Yeppers who knows!

Daniel - Windows 10 Pro x64 for Workstations 22H2 on my Alienware 17R2 and Alienware 17R5 Laptops with Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete Beta Tester for PC & Android Moto G9 Plus OS 11. "Take Them to the Train Station"
russell.harris
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Maybe they just turned off the radiation checker! 🤣

"The only problem with troubleshooting is that sometimes trouble shoots back!"
TripleHelix
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Good article here but I’m not signing up for bloomberg just to read it: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-14/apple-tech-support-staff-urged-to-stay-mum-on-iphone-12-radiation-issue#xj4y7vzkg

Daniel - Windows 10 Pro x64 for Workstations 22H2 on my Alienware 17R2 and Alienware 17R5 Laptops with Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete Beta Tester for PC & Android Moto G9 Plus OS 11. "Take Them to the Train Station"
russell.harris
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Mum’s the word!

"The only problem with troubleshooting is that sometimes trouble shoots back!"
TripleHelix
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Well I signed up!

 

Apple Tech Support Staff Urged to Stay Mum on iPhone 12 Radiation Issue

 

By Mark Gurman
September 14, 2023 at 6:26 PM EDT
 
 

Apple Inc., facing a controversy in France over the iPhone 12’s radiation levels, has advised tech-support staff not to volunteer any information when consumers ask about the issue.

If customers inquire about the French government’s claim

that the model exceeds standards for electromagnetic radiation, workers should say they don’t have anything to share, Apple employees have been told. Staff should also reject customers’ requests to return or exchange the phone unless it was purchased in the past two weeks — Apple’s normal return policy.

Customers asking if the phone is safe should be told that all Apple products go through rigorous testing to ensure that they’re safe, according to the guidance.

 

 

An Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max.Photographer: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg

The French government asked Apple earlier this week to cease sales of the iPhone 12 because tests showed that the device emits electromagnetic waves that are too strong. The country’s digital minister told Apple it has two weeks to fix the issue via a software update.

 

Apple rebutted the claims and said it would engage with France to show that the iPhone 12 is compliant. The Cupertino, California-based technology giant said it provided officials with in-house and third-party lab testing to demonstrate that the product is within the legal range.

Apple was already phasing out the iPhone 12 just as the issue flared up. The model debuted in 2020, and Apple stopped selling it Tuesday with the announcement of the iPhone 15 line. But France’s stance threatens to spark concern among the millions of existing

iPhone 12 users. Apple sold more than 100 million units of the device within its first seven months on sale, according to Counterpoint Research.

In the days since France’s initial statement, other countries in the European Union, including Belgium and Germany, have started to assess the iPhone 12’s radiation levels.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-14/apple-tech-support-staff-urged-to-stay-mum-on-iphone-12-radiation-issue?leadSource=uverify%20wall

 

Daniel - Windows 10 Pro x64 for Workstations 22H2 on my Alienware 17R2 and Alienware 17R5 Laptops with Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete Beta Tester for PC & Android Moto G9 Plus OS 11. "Take Them to the Train Station"
ProTruckDriver
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Well I signed up!

Stand by for the spam emails. LOL

Late 2015 ~ 5K ~ 27 inch iMac ~ macOS Catalina 10.15.7 ~ Clone & Backup with: SuperDuper - Time Machine & iCloud. PWM: RoboForm.  "An Apple a Day, Keeps Microsoft Away." 
TripleHelix
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Well I signed up!

Stand by for the spam emails. LOL

I used a Gmail address and if I get any I will mark as SPAM!

 

 

 

Daniel - Windows 10 Pro x64 for Workstations 22H2 on my Alienware 17R2 and Alienware 17R5 Laptops with Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete Beta Tester for PC & Android Moto G9 Plus OS 11. "Take Them to the Train Station"
MajorHavoc
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Well, I suspect that new update will simply turn down the maximum power on the radios. I suspect it will mean more dropped calls and issues with coverage in some fringe areas however.  

 

Disclaimer: I am not (no longer) an Apple employee and these are just my guesses as I have no direct knowledge of what changed. My opinion here is just an educated guess based on experience. 

- Owen Rubin,  Apple Expert. Worked in Vision Pro team and early Mac HW and OS engineer at Apple. Machines: 2017 iMac Pro 27" 5K 3GHz 10-Core Xenon Sonoma 14.x. 2023 14" MacBookPro M2 Max Ventura 13.x, 2018 16" MacBookPro Ventura 13.x, and a dozen or so older machines for testing. iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 6.
russell.harris
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Well, I suspect that new update will simply turn down the maximum power on the radios. I suspect it will mean more dropped calls and issues with coverage in some fringe areas however.  

 

Disclaimer: I am not (no longer) an Apple employee and these are just my guesses as I have no direct knowledge of what changed. My opinion here is just an educated guess based on experience. 

Very educated guess and wouldn’t be surprised if this is the case. What else can they do?!

"The only problem with troubleshooting is that sometimes trouble shoots back!"

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