According to French regulatory group ANFR, Apple's upcoming iOS 17.1 update will be released to the public on October 24. The ANFR website shared the release date in an update outlining Apple's plans to address issues with iPhone 12 radiation levels.
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"Apple has committed to deploying the update in France," a French translation of the update reads. "This fix will be available to all users by October 24th."
Apple confirmed earlier this week that iOS 17.1 will include an adjustment to reduce iPhone 12 radiation levels. As early as September, France ordered Apple to stop selling iPhone 12 and "repair" the device to make it comply with European electromagnetic radiation standards. The order was issued after the ANFR found that the iPhone 12 had a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 5.74 watts per kilogram, which was higher than the limit set by the European Union.
According to Apple, ANFR made a mistake in its radiation testing, using a testing protocol that did not take into account the in-body detection mechanisms in iPhones. The iPhone has a built-in feature that increases transmit power when not held against the body to optimize cellular performance.
Apple said the in-body detection has been "thoroughly tested and validated internationally as an effective mechanism for SAR compliance" but the company has agreed to disable the feature on iPhones in France.
According to Apple, iPhone 12 is "always safe to use." After the iOS 17.1 update, iPhone 12 models in France will no longer increase transmit power when detecting an out-of-body state, so coverage in areas with lower cellular signals may result in reduced cellular performance in some use cases.
The iOS 17.1 update brings many other changes to the iOS 17 operating system, including the Apple Music favorites system, support for AirDrop over the Internet, new options to view bank and card balances in the Wallet app, iPhone 15 Pro-exclusive change action button functionality, and more.