The mixup around iPhone 12 radiation in France is about to be fully resolved with a software fix in iOS 17.1. As it turns, out the national frequency agency in the country has shared when to expect the release of the first major update to iOS 17.
Spotted by iPhoneSoft (via Google Translate), the Agence Nationale Des Fréquences (ANFR) in France shared an update on its website today about the iPhone 12 situation that says iOS 17.1 will become available “by October 24 at the latest.”
Apple has developed a software update and the ANFR has validated it since it effectively brings the localized “member” SAR into compliance with the regulatory limit of 4 W/kg. This update was distributed by Apple to certain voluntary customers over the past few days (“beta testers”). The company has committed to rolling out this software update to all French iPhone 12 users by October 24 at the latest.
As previously shared, ANFR reiterated “The ban on the marketing of the iPhone 12 will remain in force in France until the effective deployment of this update to the general public.”
As a refresher, Apple revealed that the slightly elevated RF radiation in the recent French test had to do with an off-body state allowing increased power in the test while on-body performance was producing lower levels not measured in the test. Check out our full coverage on that here and this is Apple’s explanation:
iOS 17.1 includes an update for iPhone 12 for users in France to accommodate this specific test protocol that requires reduced power when off-body on a static surface.
iPhone 12 will no longer increase the allowed power when the off-body state is detected, such as while it is sitting on a table. As such, in coverage areas where cellular signal is low, this change in antenna transmit power may result in slightly lower cellular performance in certain off-body use cases. The vast majority of users are not expected to notice any impact.
New features with iOS 17.1
iOS 17.1 comes with updates like a new Apple Music favoriting feature, extended AirDrop sessions, enhanced StandBy mode settings, Double Tap for Apple Watch Series 9 with watchOS 10.1, and more.
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