The iPhone 12 temporarily withdrawn from the French market due to too powerful waves – rts.ch

The authority also asks Apple to “implement all available means to quickly remedy this malfunction” on copies already sold, under penalty of having to recall them, it specifies in a press release.

“I have confidence in the company’s sense of responsibility to comply with our rules. My mission is to enforce them. If it does not do so, I am ready to order the recall of iPhone 12s in circulation,” declared French Minister for Digital Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot in an interview with Le Parisien.

He specified that bringing the smartphone into compliance “requires a simple software update”. Apple has 15 days to comply.

Europe could follow suit

Concretely, the iPhone 12 exceeds by 1.74 W per kilogram (W/kg) the regulatory limit value corresponding to the energy that can be absorbed by the human body when the phone is held in the hand.

The ANFR regularly lowers the transmitting power of smartphones. Most of the time, following a formal notice, manufacturers plan to update their devices to avoid withdrawal from marketing. But this is a first for Apple.

According to Jean-Noël Barrot, the withdrawal request could even be extended to the European market.

Lack of evidence of danger

Apple did not immediately respond. The Californian giant presented its new device, the iPhone 15, on Tuesday evening, which will integrate a universal USB-C charging port to comply with European regulations.

According to the World Health Organization, “there is currently no evidence that exposure to low-intensity electromagnetic fields is dangerous for human health” and this “despite much research.”

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