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Cardiologists at Henry Ford Heart & Vascular Institute have identified a potential conflict between the iPhone 12 and certain implanted devices to regulate hearth rhythm. The warning prompted Apple, the iPhone's manufacturer, to issue a statement alerting users to the problem.
The iPhone 12 (Photo: Wikipedia)
The Detroit Free Press reports:
Magnets and other components inside iPhone 12 devices could disable pacemakers or implanted cardiac defibrillators, tech giant Apple has warned, potentially putting millions of people at risk for dangerous heart complications.
The problem was identified by cardiologists at the Henry Ford Heart & Vascular Institute, who discovered that the batteries inside iPhone 12 devices and MagSafe chargers emit electromagnetic fields that can disable or interfere with implanted defibrillators and pacemakers, the health system announced late Wednesday.
Dr. Gurjit Singh was among the doctors who wrote about the problem in a letter to the editor published in the medical journal HeartRhythm, calling it "an important public health issue concerning the newer-generation iPhone 12, which potentially can inhibit lifesaving therapy in a patient, particularly when the phone is carried in an upper chest pocket."
Singh's letter led to a statement on the Apple support website, telling iPhone 12 users to keep their phones at least six inches from their implanted devices, and their chargers 12 inches away. They also recommended users speak to their doctors about how to carry phones properly.
