Apple is standing behind its iPhone 12 after a French watchdog demanded that the company stop selling the phone in France over concerns that its radiation levels exceed European Union regulations.
The Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR) said that it tested 141 cellphones and found that the iPhone 12’s SAR, or specific absorption rate, exceeded the EU standard of 4 watts per kilogram when the phone was held in a hand or carried in a pocket. The SAR measures the rate of radiofrequency energy absorbed by the body.
Apple denied the ANFR’s findings, saying in a statement that the iPhone 12 is certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with global radiation standards. The company also said that it has provided the ANFR with several lab results from Apple and third-party labs that show the iPhone 12 complies with regulations.
The ANFR said that Apple must immediately take steps to prevent the iPhone 12 from being sold in France and to bring existing iPhone 12 devices in the country into compliance with regulations. If Apple fails to do so, the ANFR said it will recall the devices.
The sources for this piece include an article in Axios.