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It may be time to upgrade your iPhone 12 – and not due to iPhone 15

If you’re an iPhone 12 owner, it’s likely you paid extra close attention to the iPhone 15 launch on September 12 to weigh up an upgrade of the 2020 device.

However, it might not be those new camera features, expanded Dynamic Island access, faster processors and plush titanium finish that pushes you toward the upgrade button. It may be the RADIATION ALERT surrounding your current phone.

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Regulators in France reckon the iPhone 12 model has a radiation emission issue and has demanded Apple cease sales of the phone, which sounds rather dramatic doesn’t it?

The ANFR watchdog – which is in charge of radio frequencies – reckons the iPhone 12 pumps out too much electromagnetic radiation and, if Apple doesn’t lower the emissions via a software update, it’ll order the company to recall every single iPhone 12 sold in France in the last three years. Or, you know, ever.

According to a BBC report, Apple is looking into the matter, but had already provided the ANFR with results showing the iPhone 12 does not exceed the legal limit. However, the French are still expecting a response within a couple of days.

“Apple is expected to respond within two weeks,” France’s digital minister Jean-Noel Barrot says. “If they fail to do so, I am prepared to order a recall of all iPhones 12 in circulation. The rule is the same for everyone, including the digital giants.”

So how much radiation is too much radiation? Well the specific absorption rate for when the iPhone 12 held close to the body (i.e. in the pocket to held up to the ear) is apparently 5.74 watts per kilogram above the legal limit.

Interestingly, the regulator chose the biggest day of the year for Apple fans to bring the news into the public realm. Strange, considering it would have been buried under iPhone 15 news.

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