Apple has banned its technical support team from commenting on the iPhone 12’s increased radiation levels

Apple is at the center of a scandal in Europe over elevated levels of electromagnetic radiation from iPhone 12 smartphones and has banned its tech support staff from saying anything about the issue, Bloomberg writes.

When customers ask for clarification on the French government’s claims that the level of electromagnetic radiation from iPhone 12 smartphones exceeds permissible standards, technical support staff should not comment. Company employees should reject customer requests for refunds or replacements due to this issue even if more than two weeks have passed since the purchase of the gadget, which is standard practice at Apple. When customers ask questions about the safety of Apple smartphones, company employees must explain to customers that, according to the rules, all Apple products undergo thorough testing to confirm their complete safety.

Earlier this week, France announced a temporary ban on sales of the iPhone 12 in the country because it exceeds established standards for electromagnetic radiation. The government has given Apple two weeks to fix the problem through software updates.

Apple has rejected claims that the iPhone 12 is unsafe and said it will work with the French government to prove that smartphones meet all technical safety standards. The company added that it has already submitted its own and independent laboratory test results of these smartphones to the French government, confirming that the electromagnetic radiation they produce meets the established standards. It was also announced today that Apple will release a software update for the iPhone 12, which should appease the French regulator.

It should be added that with the release of the iPhone 15 smartphone range, Apple announced the discontinuation of sales of the iPhone 12 models first introduced in 2020. However, France’s announcement could raise concerns among millions of owners of these devices. According to analysts at Counterpoint Research, Apple sold more than 100 million of these smartphones in the first seven months of iPhone 12 sales.

At the time of France’s statement, other EU countries, including Belgium and Germany, also began testing iPhone 12 smartphones for elevated levels of electromagnetic radiation.