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Apple Inc. announced Monday it will roll out software updates to iPhone 12 devices throughout the European Union to reduce radio transmitter power, following confirmation from Brussels that the smartphones do not meet regional health standards.
The European Commission on Monday published an August 19 decision in its Official Journal confirming findings by France's ANFR radio frequency authority and endorsing the country's regulatory response as "justified."
France's ANFR had ordered a halt to iPhone 12 sales in September 2023, citing excessive electromagnetic emissions absorbed by the human body when users hold the device. The agency's testing found the smartphone exceeded limits for specific absorption rate, a measure of radiofrequency energy absorbed by body tissue.
The software update, planned for "the coming weeks" across all 27 EU member states, mirrors a modification Apple implemented in France in 2023 after that country's radio frequency authority identified compliance issues.
Apple initially addressed the issue with a software patch applied only in France, allowing sales to resume there. The company maintained its position Monday that the French testing methodology was flawed.
"We continue to disagree with the French ANFR's testing approach, (but) respect the European Commission's decision," Apple said in a statement. "Customers can use their iPhone 12 with full confidence, just as they always have."
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