France halts Apple iPhone 12 sales for above-threshold radiation levels

On the same day Apple launched its flagship devices at its annual event in Cupertino, California, the French regulators ordered the company to halt sales of its older iPhone 12 models. Radiation watchdog ANFRdemanded the halt saying the Apple devices emitted too much electromagnetic radiation.

Jean-Noel Barrot,France's junior minister for the digital economy told the newspaper Le Parisien that ANFR hadcarriedout tests which showed thesmartphone's Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) to be slightly higher than what's legally allowed.

The watchdog saidaccredited labs found absorption of electromagnetic energy by the body at 5.74 watts per kilogram during tests when the smartphone was beingheld in the hand or kept in a pocket. Interestingly, the European standard for thespecific absorption rate is 4.0 watts per kilogramin such tests.

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As a result, ANFR says it "ordered Apple to remove the iPhone 12 from the French market from September 12".

"Concerning phones already sold, Apple must in the briefest of delays take corrective measures to bring the affected phones into compliance. Otherwise, Apple will have to recall them," the watchdog added.

Starting Wednesday (September 13), the watchdog said its agents will be on the lookout, verifying if the company had halted the sale of devices or not.

Meanwhile, Barrot said a software update would be sufficient to fix the radiation issues.

"Apple is expected to respond within two weeks.If they fail to do so, I am prepared to order a recall of all iPhones 12 in circulation. The rule is the same for everyone, including the digital giants."

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Apple succumbs to EU's demands

Notably, on Tuesday, Apple announced it was finally falling in line with the rules imposed by the European Union. During the launch event, the company said its new iPhone lineup will ditch the proprietary Lightning Port technology and adopt theUSB-C chargers.

The EU Parliament last year approved new rules that make sure a universal charging port is introduced for all electronic gadgets (mobile phones, tablets, cameras, e-readers, earbuds and other devices) by 2024. 11 years after Apple introduced its novel charging technology, it has returned to the universal regulations.

(With inputs from agencies)

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