French authorities have received a software update from Apple for the iPhone 12 and are reviewing it, a source at the French digital ministry said on Tuesday, as the U.S. tech giant sought to avoid a costly recall.
Apple promised to update the software to defuse a controversy over radiation levels in iPhone 12 devices after France suspended sales of the phones earlier this month after tests revealed violations of radiation exposure limits.
France had threatened to recall the iPhone if Apple refused to perform a software update.
Apple disputed the French findings, claiming that the iPhone 12 had been certified by multiple international bodies as meeting global standards, but announced on September 15 that it would release a software update to accommodate the French testing methods.
Over the past two decades, numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate the health risks associated with mobile phones. According to the World Health Organisation, no adverse health effects have been linked to them.
However, the radiation warning in France, based on test results that differ from those in other countries, has sparked concern throughout Europe and other countries, including Belgium, which has asked to benefit from the software upgrade as well.
Industry experts claimed there were no safety risks because regulatory limits were set well below levels where scientists have found evidence of harm. These limits were based on the risk of burns or heatstroke from the phone’s radiation.
Apple launched the iPhone 15 earlier this month, and the iPhone 12 is not available to buy from Apple directly. It can, however, be bought from third parties that have inventory or trade old phones.
Apple routinely provides software updates for its phones and computers, mostly to fix security issues. They can be focused on a particular model or a region, and sometimes Apple issues several updates in a month.
The iPhone 12 update is set to be similar to any of these regular software fixes. Apple pings iPhones for eligible software updates, and users install them.