Apple has been forced to halt sales of its iPhone 12 in France after a watchdog claimed the device emits too much radiation. The smartphone, which was first released in 2020, has a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) that is above the legal limit, according to France’s National Frequency Agency (ANFR), which oversees radio-electric frequencies as well as public exposure to electromagnetic radiation. The agency tested 141 phones and found that the iPhone 12 was more than 40 per cent above the legal limit for SAR. The ANFR called on Apple in a statement on Tuesday to “implement all available means to rapidly fix this malfunction.” Corrective updates to the iPhone 12 will be monitored by the agency, according to the statement. If they don’t work, “Apple will have to recall” phones that were already sold, it said. The agency consistently tests devices for waves capable of being absorbed by the human body, measuring against the European Union standard of 4 watts per kilogram. The ANFR said the iPhone 12 met the required threshold when radiation levels were assessed for a phone kept in a jacket or in a bag. The Independent has reached out to Apple for comment. Jean-Noel Barrot, France’s junior minister for digital economy, told Le Parisien newspaper on Tuesday that the ANFR’s data would be shared with other EU member states, which he warned could have a “snowball effect” on Apple. “Apple is expected to respond within two weeks,” he said. “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.” The ANFR’s announcement came on the launch day of Apple’s latest iPhone 15, which saw the whole 12 series of iPhones discontinued. This means any ban is unlikely to have a significant impact on Apple’s phone sales, however a recall could prove damaging depending on the scale. Additional reporting by agencies Read More All the key announcements from Apple’s iPhone 15 event Why Apple getting rid of lightning cable iPhone charger is a big deal Here’s the brand new Apple Watch Apple to stop using leather in all new products

China hasn't issued any laws or rules to ban the use of iPhones or any other foreign phone brand, a Chinese government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

BEIJING China has not issued a ban on the purchase and use of foreign phone brands, the Chinese

LONDON & CHESTERBROOK, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 13, 2023--

By Yelin Mo and Brenda Goh BEIJING Apple's iPhone 15 drew mixed reactions in its third largest market

BASINGSTOKE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 13, 2023--

Bluesky has hit a new milestone as it has passed over one million registered users. The social media platform, created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has surged in popularity as an alternative to X after users sought to leave the Elon Musk-owned app. Under Mr Musk, Twitter has been rebranded as X. Bluesky hit the milestone on Tuesday, with Rose Wang, who works on strategy and operations at the platform, sharing a screenshot of the moment it gained over a million users. Bluesky still seems to be in its early stages, taking a careful approach and growing slowly as it caters to its cohort of initial adopters. Choosing this cautious approach, access to the app is extended via a waitlist and through invitations from existing users. The app was first announced by Mr Dorsey when he was still in charge of Twitter, tasking developers to build a “decentralised standard” for social media. “The biggest and long-term goal is to build a durable and open protocol for public conversation. That it not be owned by any one organisation but contributed by as many as possible. And that it is born and evolved on the internet with the same principles,” Mr Dorsey wrote on the app in 2020. Bluesky has seen upticks in requests for signups following Mr Musk’s takeover of X, as the Tesla titan brought about sweeping changes to his platform, including initiating mass layoffs, the removal of blue checkmarks for non-paying users and modifications to content rules. At one point in July, Bluesky had to halt sign-ups due to a huge surge in demand, following Mr Musk imposing limits on the number of tweets people could read on X – a move that was later reversed. Bluesky’s approach to carefully onboard users is also in contrast to Meta’s Threads platform, which has emerged as another one of Twitter’s competitors in recent times. Meta’s decision to cross-promote Threads to existing Instagram users led to the app racking up close to 30 million signups in less than 24 hours, and over 100 million users within the first five days. But even with the recent roll-out of a web app – a much-anticipated feature – Threads’ traffic appears to be on a worrying dip, with its number of daily active users much lower than during its heyday just after it launched. Read More Elon Musk’s Twitter slows down access to rival websites $44 billion and eight months later. It’s finally all over for Elon Musk Musk, Zuckerberg and the bitter battle for the future of social media Volcano discovery could power electric cars for decades, scientists say New invention will lead to ‘battery revolution’, scientists say Putin praises Musk days after report Tesla boss stopped Ukrainian attack

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has been talking for several months about accomplishing a potentially impossible task: Passing bipartisan legislation within the next year that both encourages the rapid development of artificial intelligence and also mitigates its biggest risks

Binance.US Chief Executive Officer Brian Shroder has left the crypto trading platform and been replaced on an interim

Apple Inc. enacted its long-awaited iPhone price increase with as much subtlety as possible, part of an effort

Binance.US Chief Executive Brian Shroder will leave the company and be replaced by general counsel Norman Reed on

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 12, 2023--