Apple will release iOS 17.1 with a fix for the radiation value of the iPhone 12 on October 24

Apple will release iOS version 17.1 ‘no later than’ on October 24, the French frequency agency ANFR said. This includes a fix for the excessively high SAR value of the iPhone 12. After that date, these phones can be sold in France again.

The ANFR states on its website that the hotfix will in any case be rolled out in France and should be available to every French user ‘no later than October 24’. Until then, the iPhone 12 sales ban remains in effect in the country. Although the frequency agency does not mention exactly which update it concerns, Apple already announced earlier this week that the fix will be released as part of iOS version 17.1. It is not clear whether the hotfix will also be rolled out outside France.

Based on the iOS 17.1 beta, the update also includes the ability to favorite music, albums and artists in the Music app, writes MacRumors. In addition, there will probably be support for AirDrop transfers via WiFi or mobile data and more options should become available in the settings to determine when the display goes on standby.

The ANFR had previously tested and approved the hotfix. The French authority discovered last month that the iPhone 12 had a specific absorption rate of 5.74W/kg, while this should not exceed 4W/kg. After the update, the phone has a Sar value of 3.94W/kg.

Apple stated earlier this week that the increased radiation value is due to the ANFR test protocol. The company says that iPhones have a mechanism that detects whether they are being held by a human. If this is not the case, the transmission power and thus the SAR value will be increased. However, the ANFR would not have taken this detection method into account. To ‘comply with testing protocol’, this feature will be disabled in the update, Apple says.