Amid the lingering concern regarding iPhone 12 radiation in France, the country’s national frequency agency has leaked the release date for the first major update to iOS 17 (via 9to5Mac).
As reported by iPhoneSoft, Agence Nationale Des Fréquences (ANFR) has issued an update on its website indicating that iOS 17.1 is expected to be available “by October 24 at the latest.”
This announcement follows Apple’s development of a software update, validated by ANFR, which ensures that the “member” Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) is compliant with the regulatory limit of 4 W/kg.
Apple has already distributed this update to certain voluntary customers, including beta testers, in recent days, with a commitment to rolling it out to all French iPhone 12 users by or before October 24.
As reiterated by ANFR, the ban on marketing the iPhone 12 in France will remain in effect until this update is deployed to the general public.
Apple has previously clarified that the elevated Radio Frequency (RF) radiation levels observed in recent French tests were associated with off-body scenarios that permitted higher power during testing, while on-body performance yielded lower, unmeasured levels.
The solution lies in iOS 17.1, which incorporates an update tailored for iPhone 12 users in France. This update adjusts power levels when the device is in an off-body state and on a static surface.
With iOS 17.1, the iPhone 12 will no longer increase its transmitted power when detecting an off-body state, such as when placed on a table.
In areas with weak cellular signal coverage, this adjustment in antenna transmit power may lead to slightly reduced cellular performance in specific off-body scenarios.
However, the impact is expected to be minimal for the majority of users.
