PARIS — French regulators ordered Apple to stop selling the iPhone 12, saying it emits electromagnetic radiation levels that are above European Union standards for exposure. The company disputed the findings and said the device complies with regulations.
France's digital minister said the iPhone 12's radiation levels are still much lower than levels that scientific studies consider could harm users, and the agency itself acknowledges that its tests don't reflect typical phone use. The phone passed a separate test of radiation levels for devices kept in a jacket or in a bag, the agency said.
It's not clear why this particular model appears to throw off higher radiation but it “may be associated with the initial stage of connection when the phone is ‘looking’ for a transmit/receive signal,” he said. Jean-Noël Barrot, France's minister in charge of digital issues, told France Info radio that the National Frequency Agency “is in charge of controlling our phones which, as there are software updates, may emit a little more or a little less electromagnetic waves.”
During calls, the phone only transmits half the time, when the user is speaking, and calls rarely last six minutes, the agency said. Mobile internet or video use lasts longer, but the phone"rarely transmits more than 10% of the time," it added.