Apple iOS 17.1 Update to Address iPhone 12 Radiation Levels

Cupertino-based technology giant Apple has announced that its upcoming iOS 17.1 software update will lower the iPhone 12’s radiation levels. The iOS 17.1 update will be released later in October.

According to MacRumors, in September France ordered the iPhone maker to stop selling the iPhone 12 and implement a “fix” to the devices that would bring them into compliance with European electromagnetic radiation standards.

The company announced in its support document that it will disable the loose sensing feature that allows for slightly higher transmission power when the ‌iPhone‌ is not held in a hand or pocket.

The detection feature will only be disabled in France, and Apple said it will be disabled despite the country’s ANFR regulatory group making a mistake in conducting radiation tests.

ANFR used a testing protocol that did not take into account the ‌iPhone‌’s off-body detection mechanism, which Apple says has been thoroughly tested and internationally verified as an effective mechanism to meet SAR requirements.

“The iPhone has sensors that detect when it is sitting on a static surface, such as a table, rather than being held in the hand or placed in a pocket. This off-body recognition mechanism, which has been used in all iPhones for more than a decade, allows the device to add transmit power in slightly off-balance scenarios to optimize performance,” Apple said.

With the iOS 17.1 update, ‌iPhone‌ 12 models in France no longer increase their allowed power when off-body mode is detected, so coverage in areas with low cellular signal may degrade cellular network performance in some cases of off-body use. most users are not expected to notice the change.

The US tech giant claims that the ‌iPhone‌ 12 is safe to use and always has been. The company’s iPhones must meet international energy transfer standards for health and safety to ensure limited energy transfer when the device is in contact with the human body.