Apple to update iPhone 12 software in France to settle radiation row

Apple said on Friday it would issue a software update for iPhone 12 users in France to potentially end a row with French regulators that ordered the suspension of the phone’s sale due to breaches of radiation exposure limits.

“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.

“This is related to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern,” it said.

The French government welcomed the move.

“The ANFR (French regulator) is preparing to quickly test this update,” French Digital Affairs Minister Jean Noel Barrot’s ministry said in a statement, adding this should bring the model into compliance with European standards and allow France to lift the sale suspension.

Apple has contested the French radiation findings, saying the iPhone 12 – now a relatively old model launched in 2020 – was certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with global standards.

Belgium said on Thursday it would review potential health risks linked to Apple’s iPhone 12 in the wake of France’s sale suspension, while others, like Germany, said they would wait to see how the situation in French developed.

Apple’s revenues totalled about $95 billion in Europe last year, making the region its second biggest behind the Americas. Some estimates say it sold more than 50 million iPhones last year in Europe.

The U.S. company, which does not break out its sales by country or model, launched the iPhone 15 on Tuesday.