The new version of iOS 17.1 will restore the legality of the iPhone 12 in France. This information comes from the latest developer comments on the third version of iOS 17.1 Beta.
In September, France temporarily banned sales of the iPhone 12 after the Agence nationale des fréquences (ANFR), the country’s radio frequency regulator, found that the device exceeded legal limits for its emissions. The limit is SAR, which refers to the amount of energy absorbed by the body from radio frequency electromagnetic fields. All devices must comply with specific limits, which vary from country to country. In the US, this is regulated by the FCC.
Read more: French agency says iPhone 12 emits excessive radiation and asks Apple to recall it
Apple says that the iPhone 12 complies with body-worn SAR limits when worn or carried by the user , as it has body-worn detection and adjusts transmit accordingly. However, ANFR does not test devices in this case. The specific testing protocol used by ANFR requires devices to meet body-worn SAR limits, even when the device is tested off the body on a static surface.
However, the iPhone 12 was withdrawn from the French market, as Apple had already planned to stop selling it. Other European countries were watching the development with interest. In September, Apple told Reuters that it was working on a software update to allow the iPhone 12 to meet the specific ANFR testing protocol. French regulators approved it on September 29, and the update will be released with iOS 17.1.
Now, everyone is happy. The iPhone 12 exceeds the ANFR emission limit when tested outside the body, so Apple can sell a phone that has already been discontinued. This experience taught us a valuable lesson: if there were dangerous levels of electromagnetic emissions, we would have been better off hearing about it three years ago.
Source: theverge.com
