Apple to give iPhone 12 software fix to allay French radiation concerns - report
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Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) vowed to update software on iPhone 12s in France to settle concerns related to radiation levels, but worries in other European countries signalled that it may have to take similar action in other places, Reuters reported.
Earlier this week, France's radiation watchdog Agence Nationale des Frequences, or ANFR, halted the sales of iPhone 12 in the country after finding that the model exceeded the legal radiation levels.
Apple had challenged the findings, noting that the iPhone 12 was certified by several international bodies as compliant with global standards, but said on Friday that it would issue a software update to accommodate the testing methods used in France, the report added.
"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 to Reuters. "This is related to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern."
The French government said that Apple's software update will be swiftly tested and should allow for sales of the iPhone 12 model to resume, according to the report.
On Tuesday, ANFR said that it had recently measured the specific absorption rates, or SAR, of 141 phones including Apple's iPhone 12, and found that the model exceeded the legal SAR limit. According to the regulator, agents had been instructed to verify from Sept. 12 that these models would no longer be offered for sale in all distribution channels available in France.
Tentatively following in France's footsteps, Belgium had said that it would review the potential health risks related to the iPhone 12, while Dutch digital watchdog, Nederlandse Rijksinspectie Digitale Infrastructuur also said that it was looking into the issue.
Germany's network regulator BNetzA had noted that the work in France could act as a guide for Europe and that it would examine the issue for the German market if the process in France had advanced sufficiently. Meanwhile, Italy, reportedly, was monitoring the situation but not taking any action for now.

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