Funny that a country with 56 nuclear reactors worries about the radiation of iPhones.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple iOS Update to Fix iPhone 12 Radiation Levels Approved by French Regulators
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Perhaps, but most of us don't carry nuclear reactors around in our pockets all day or stick them up against our faces regularly.
Radiation from phones seemingly being increased on the sly by software updates
Nuclear reactors produce ionizing radiation. Cell phones do not. Cell phone receive and produce radio frequency radiation; this is way different than what nuclear reactors do. If RF radiation caused cancer or any other clear health issues, we'd have about 50 billion times (slight exaggeration) more cancer cases than we do or a lot of other problems.
How did this come through? Did this intentional. Providing state of the art phones with lack luster hardware manipulating it by increasing performance by putting hardware in overcharge? That is the reason right there?
There still is no scientific evidence that electromagnetic radiation is harmful. Of course the energy of that radiation will heat up your brain a little, but that is much less than the heat from the sun shining on your head for example. Some people say they "feel" a nearby cellphone tower, but so far there has not been a single person who could tell if a cellphone tower is turned on or off even when standing right next to it.
And who uses a smartphone for phone calls anyway?
And who uses a smartphone for phone calls anyway?
Manufacturers are supposed to test the phones and ensure they comply with exposure limits. But something obviously got missed here and a firmware update caused the device to be non-compliant, perhaps accidentally. Well done to the French lab for picking it up!
So they simply roll out a software update and the problem is fixed? How can Apple justify releasing phones to the public that expose users to unallowed levels of electromagnetic radiation in the first place?
Four different versions of the iPhone 12 are shipped in different regions (US, Canada/Japan, China, and Global). These each have different antenna/radio configurations according to the various 4G/5G frequencies used in different regions. It's possible that this issue only affects the A2403 global model, which is the one sold in Europe.
Can someone here explain how a software update fixed it? And how software updates actually caused it? And what did they actually change?
Once more I am amazed by how many replying havent read the article fully. Many just come across as knee jerk opinions. (anti EU, anti France, etc)
Key point: The phone passed the same tests originally, but now fails since Apple increased RF power output through updates.
Misinformation alert. True this isnt ionising radiation, but that doesnt make it safe. True it may be less power than full sunlight (which also is bad for you), but like in a microwave oven the RF radiation penetrates the body to a depth and heats water molecules inside the body. We are after all 60% water.
Key point: The phone passed the same tests originally, but now fails since Apple increased RF power output through updates.
Misinformation alert. True this isnt ionising radiation, but that doesnt make it safe. True it may be less power than full sunlight (which also is bad for you), but like in a microwave oven the RF radiation penetrates the body to a depth and heats water molecules inside the body. We are after all 60% water.
Your cell phone as well as other devices have sensors that know when the radiator is near the body. When this is detected they reduce the output power of the active radios via software control. They could have been a tad over the test limit and they would have enforced this. If anyone is panicking over this the damage has already been done. 😂
Many natural rocks contain traces of radioactive isotopes. If you worry about that stuff, bring a Geiger counter when you order new granite tile for you kitchen counter, bathroom shower, patio, etc. and don't stick you face up against those parts of your house... 🤪
Sadly I wouldn't of put it down to more of an issue with cell issue and trying to fix that "bug". An engineer saw oh look easy solution of boost power a little as lots of room left to do it in the chip. Said engineer did not know it was reduced for legal reasons. Mix that with done years ago and no one caught it until now makes it even harder that Apple would of even known thst this fix was needed to be undone. Hell the people who were involved in it most likely are all gone by now and it would of been so small no one would of remember it.
I doubt it was done to cheat the rules. Apple should be fined heavy as ignorance is not an excuse and someone should of caught it in all this time.
Yes.
Apple ran their tests. It passed. Other countries ran their tests and it passed. France ran their tests and it failed two of the many tests. Their rules are written so if it fails any one test, it is not in line with EU regulations.
being exposed to higher emissions from cell phones is about has harmful as being exposed to more cats meowing.
The word "radiation", while technically correct, carries with it a lot of baggage related to nuclear radiation.
The fact is that when you speak you radiate sound, the bulbs in your house radiate light, the microwave oven in your house radiates radio signals, and literally every single powered device in your home radiates something.
But unless it's ionizing electromagnetic radiation it's harmless to all known life on Earth.
Not enough technical data has been given here and I'm not going to go digging for it. From what I recall, the iPhone puts out about 4 watts too much, which is still less than 1/10th the safe limit, but not quite at the exact number France requires. And apparently France does require a slightly lower limit than other countries. So they're tweaking it. No idea how they will actually distribute the update. Probably offered to any iPhone on a French network operator.
The iOS update will likely continue to be rolled out in other countries who determine that France's RF concerns are valid (perhaps after doing their own testing and assessments) but there's no reason to do it before then especially if the update has any negative effect on the functioning of the phone. Maybe France is being overly and unnecessarily cautious. Maybe their conclusions are wrong.
Yeah this whole thing is sus... maybe Apple thinks if they give it to the rest of the world then the rest of the world would fine them too.