Apple announced on Friday that it would release a software update for iPhone 12 owners in France, potentially putting an end to a dispute with French authorities who had ordered the phone’s sale to be halted owing to violations of radiation exposure limits.
“We will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators. We look forward to iPhone 12 continuing to be available in France,” Apple said in a statement.
“This is related to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern,” it said.
The French administration applauded the decision
“The ANFR (French regulator) is preparing to quickly test this update,” stated French Digital Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot’s ministry, adding that this should bring the model into accordance with European regulations and allow France to lift the sale suspension.
Apple has disputed the French radiation findings, claiming that the iPhone 12 – now a rather old model that debuted in 2020 – was certified as consistent with worldwide standards by numerous international organizations.
In the aftermath of France’s sale ban, Belgium said on Thursday it would study potential health hazards associated with Apple’s iPhone 12, while others, such as Germany, said they would wait to see how the situation in France unfolded.
Last year, Apple’s revenues in Europe totaled almost $95 billion, ranking the area second only to the Americas. According to some estimates, Apple sold more than 50 million iPhones in Europe last year.
The iPhone 15 was released on Tuesday by Apple, which does not break down its sales by country or model.