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iPhone 12 at an Apple Store

Photo: LUCY NICHOLSON / REUTERS

Apple wants to avert the imminent recall of the iPhone 12 in France with a software update for the devices used there. In a statement, the group explained that the exceedance of limits for electromagnetic radiation determined by a regulator was due to its special test protocol. The update that has now been announced is intended to take into account the French test method and was not developed due to security concerns, Apple further announced. In many countries around the world, it has been tested and confirmed that the iPhone 12 meets all limits.

The French authority Agence nationale des fréquences (ANFR) had ordered on Tuesday last week that the three-year-old model had to be removed from the sales channels. In addition, it was threatened that all devices in circulation in France would have to be recalled if Apple did not correct the values "as soon as possible" via update.

The authority wants to investigate further

The ANFR had 141 different mobile phones examined in a laboratory to determine how much electromagnetic radiation human bodies absorb during their operation. It was found that the iPhone 12 exceeded the limit for direct physical contact – for example in the hand or in the trouser pocket. Instead of the maximum permitted 4 watts per kilogram, it was 5.74 watts per kilogram.

On the other hand, the iPhone 12 complied with the limit of two watts per kilogram for radiation levels at a distance of five millimeters from the body, the ANFR wrote. It applies to situations where a phone is carried in a jacket or bag, for example.

In Germany, a spokesman for the Federal Network Agency said on Wednesday that the procedure in France had a guiding function for Europe as a whole. "If the procedure in France is sufficiently advanced, the Federal Network Agency would consider a procedure for the German market," he explained.

The French authority reacted happily to Apple's declaration of intent and announced that it would examine the effect of the update in turn.

mak/dpa