Apple announced on Monday a software update for iPhone 12 users in the European Union to reduce radiation levels, bringing them in line with the EU’s health standards.
The update is similar to the September 2023 change in software Apple made in France to reduce radiation levels on the iPhone 12 into compliance with a testing protocol used by the country’s regulators.
Apple was ordered by French regulators to cease selling the iPhone 12 and to provide a “fix” for the handsets to bring them into compliance with European electromagnetic radiation standards.
When Apple rolled out the update in France, it said that it was turning off the feature, even though the country’s Agence Française Nationale des Fréquences or ANFR regulatory group made an error when doing its radiation tests. ANFR used a testing protocol that did not account for the iPhone’s off-body detection mechanism.
The EU-wide software update will be issued across all 27 EU member states “in the coming weeks,” according to Apple.
Apple continues to says that the French testing methodology was flawed. “We continue to disagree with the French ANFR’s testing approach, (but) respect the European Commission’s decision,” Apple said in a statement on Monday. “Customers can use their iPhone 12 with full confidence, just as they always have.”
