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iOS 17.1 Will Fix iPhone 12 Radiation Levels in France

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Apple today said that the upcoming iOS 17.1 software that is set to be released later in October will lower iPhone 12 radiation levels.

purple-iphone-12-and-12-mini.jpg

France in September ordered Apple to cease iPhone 12 sales and implement a "fix" for devices that would bring them into compliance with European electromagnetic radiation standards. Apple in a support document said that it is disabling the off-body detection feature that allows for slightly higher transmit power when an iPhone is not held or in a pocket.

The detection feature is going to be disabled only in France, and Apple says that it is being turned off despite the fact that 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, which Apple says has been "thoroughly tested and verified internationally to be an effective mechanism to comply with SAR requirements."
iPhone has sensors that can detect when it is sitting on a static surface, like a table, as opposed to being held in the hand or placed in a pocket. This off-body detection mechanism, which has been used in all iPhones for over a decade, allows the device to increase transmit power slightly in off-body scenarios to optimize performance.

The specific test protocol used by ANFR requires that devices meet the on-body SAR limits, even when the device is tested off-body on a static surface. This decision is not consistent with international standards, which allow for independent testing of power control mechanisms that may not be activated during standard SAR tests.
Click to expand...
According to Apple, the iPhone 12 is safe to use "and always has been." The company's iPhones must meet international energy transmission standards for health and safety to ensure limited energy transmission when a device is in contact with the human body.

With the iOS 17.1 update, iPhone 12 models in France will no longer increase their allowed power when the off-body state is detected, so coverage in areas where cellular signal is low may cause slightly lower cellular performance in some off-body use cases, though most users are not expected to notice a change.

Article Link: iOS 17.1 Will Fix iPhone 12 Radiation Levels in France
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/10/ios-17-1-iphone-12-radiation-fix/
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Interesting that they phrase it as "we have released a software update" rather than "we will release a software update" — I wonder if this article wasn't meant to be released to the public yet? (17.1 is obviously still in beta, and unless I've missed something, it doesn't actually have a release date yet.)
 
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Certainly interesting to learn about the different power levels. Wonder if this is something to consider when reviewers perform battery tests for iPhone
 
definitive said:
And the rest of the world? Will theirs get fixed as well, or will their phones still emit the radiation?
Click to expand...
“The detection feature is going to be disabled only in France, and Apple says that it is being turned off despite the fact that 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, which Apple says has been 'thoroughly tested and verified internationally to be an effective mechanism to comply with SAR requirements.'"

Rather than spend the time and money fighting France over this for a 3 year old device, Apple decided to implement the fix. It’s the path of least resistance, even if France appears to be in the wrong on this.
 
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Wait, so there are two levels emitted by the phone, on body and off body? The french testers who supposedly should know this don't and use there own flawed non-reviewed testing and rate the off body levels as if it was next to your head? While the rest of the world’s testers, who seem to actually have knowledge of this rate it properly and safe? I mean, I expect the EU countries politicians who know nothing about tech making up crazy tech regulation. But engineering tester!?
Now the iPhone 12, for France only, fall below allowed levels and now will have reduced cell strength? Sweet I guess. Lol
 
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MacRumors said:


Apple today said that the upcoming iOS 17.1 software that is set to be released later in October will lower iPhone 12 radiation levels.

purple-iphone-12-and-12-mini.jpg

France in September ordered Apple to cease iPhone 12 sales and implement a "fix" for devices that would bring them into compliance with European electromagnetic radiation standards. Apple in a support document said that it is disabling the off-body detection feature that allows for slightly higher transmit power when an iPhone is not held or in a pocket.

The detection feature is going to be disabled only in France, and Apple says that it is being turned off despite the fact that 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, which Apple says has been "thoroughly tested and verified internationally to be an effective mechanism to comply with SAR requirements."According to Apple, the iPhone 12 is safe to use "and always has been." The company's iPhones must meet international energy transmission standards for health and safety to ensure limited energy transmission when a device is in contact with the human body.

With the iOS 17.1 update, iPhone 12 models in France will no longer increase their allowed power when the off-body state is detected, so coverage in areas where cellular signal is low may cause slightly lower cellular performance in some off-body use cases, though most users are not expected to notice a change.

Article Link: iOS 17.1 Will Fix iPhone 12 Radiation Levels in France
Click to expand...
Probably related to this:
www.anses.fr

Exposure to mobile telephones carried close to the body

Testing of exposure to waves emitted by mobile telephones was modified in 2016 to take changes in models and uses into account. Since then, manufacturers have been required to assess exposure under realistic conditions of use, i.e. when the telephone is placed very close to the body, at a...
www.anses.fr www.anses.fr
 
At this rate of updates, I wonder when my iPhone 14PM will decide to auto update. I'm curious. It's still on 16.6.1 and no message about auto update notification yet. Which also means my Watch 8 is also on wait mode.
 
XXPP said:
Yes, because the problem is not the iPhone but the French authorities who don't know what they are doing.
Click to expand...
www.anses.fr

Exposure to mobile telephones carried close to the body

Testing of exposure to waves emitted by mobile telephones was modified in 2016 to take changes in models and uses into account. Since then, manufacturers have been required to assess exposure under realistic conditions of use, i.e. when the telephone is placed very close to the body, at a...
www.anses.fr www.anses.fr
 
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