iPhone 12: Transmission power adjustment reaches all EU countries after France
In 2023, the French radio regulatory authority required Apple to change the antenna settings on one model. This is now also happening across Europe.
The iPhone 12 came with 5G support for the first time.
(Image: Apple)
Does this story now have a happy ending? In a conflict with the French authority Agence Française Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR), comparable to the Federal Network Agency in Germany, Apple will now follow up with an update for an old iPhone model intended for the entire EU. The ANFR had threatened to ban the sale of the iPhone 12 in 2023, as tests had shown that the device emitted electromagnetic radiation above local limits in certain situations.
At the time, the iPhone 12 was no longer current and had even been discontinued by the manufacturer – The device was originally launched in fall 2020. Apple nevertheless responded and released an update for the iPhone 12 only, which was intended to allay the ANFR's concerns. The patch was eventually accepted, but was limited to France only.
Brussels confirms France after two years
Apple has now decided to roll out the update across the EU. The reason, according to a report by the AFP news agency: Brussels has confirmed that the ANFR's decision from 2023 was correct. The review lasted until August 19 of this year, which is less than two years. In response, Apple will now present an update for the iPhone 12 only, which will implement the changes developed for France for all EU citizens, provided they are still using this device (or have it in their drawer).
According to the EU, the iPhone 12 does not meet the radiation protection standards without the update. Apple itself continues to disagree with the decisions of the ANFR and the European Union, but intends to respect them. Apple sees the problem primarily in the ANFR tests. "Users can continue to use their iPhone 12 with full confidence as always," the company said. The French minister responsible at the time, Jean-Noel Barrot (2023 Digital Transformation, now Foreign Affairs/Europe), welcomed the decision on X.
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No power increase away from the body
Following the ANFR's decision, Apple set up a special website to explain that it considered the ANFR test protocols to be the problem, not the iPhone 12. Apple criticized the fact that the ANFR requires the phone to comply with the SAR limits close to the body, even if it is not used directly on the body.
The solution: With the update to iOS 17.1, the operating system no longer automatically increased the performance, even if the iPhone 12 is placed on a table slightly away from the body when making calls. This will be the case throughout the EU in the future. The version number of the update is still unclear, but iOS 18.7 is currently expected.
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