Apple has emphasized that this issue does not constitute a safety concern and has underscored that the iPhone 12 was certified as compliant with global radiation standards by multiple international bodies. The forthcoming software update, while not designed to adjust radiation levels (as that would require hardware modifications), aims to align the iPhone 12 with the specific testing protocol employed by French regulators. Apple expresses optimism that this software patch will facilitate the iPhone 12’s compliance with future radiation tests, and it looks forward to the device continuing to be available in France.
The crux of the matter lies in France’s adjustment of its regulations in 2020. The changes introduced considerations for extremities, such as hands, in radiation level testing. This involved evaluating the rate of radio-frequency energy absorbed by the body, as measured by a metric known as the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR). During recent SAR tests conducted in France, regulators observed that the iPhone 12 exceeded permissible levels of energy absorption when held in hand, despite passing the test when assessing the head and body.
