iOS 17.1 to Launch by October 24

Apple's upcoming iOS 17.1 update is set to be released to the public by October 24, according to the French regulatory group ANFR (via iPhoneSoft). The release date was shared on the ANFR's website in an update outlining Apple's plan to address radiation levels in the iPhone 12.

iOS 17
"Apple has committed to deploy an update in France," reads a translation of the update, which is in French. "This fix will be available to all users no later than October 24."

Apple earlier this week confirmed that iOS 17.1 will include a tweak that will lower iPhone 12 radiation levels. Back in September, France ordered Apple to stop selling the iPhone 12 and "fix" devices to bring them into compliance with European electromagnetic radiation standards. The order came after the ANFR found that the ‌iPhone‌ 12's Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) came in at 5.74 watts per kilogram, above the limit set by the European Union.

According to Apple, the ANFR made an error in its radiation tests, using a testing protocol that did not account for the off-body detection mechanism in the ‌iPhone‌. iPhones have a built-in feature that allows them to increase their transmit power when not held on the body for optimized cellular performance.

Apple says that the off-body detection has been "thoroughly tested and verified internationally to be an effective mechanism to comply with SAR requirements," bur nevertheless, the company has agreed to disable this feature on iPhones in France.

According to Apple, the ‌iPhone‌ 12 is safe to use "and always has been." After the iOS 17.1 update, ‌iPhone‌ 12 models in France will no longer increase their transmit power when the off-body state is detected, so coverage in areas where cellular signal is low may cause lower cellular performance in some use cases.

The iOS 17.1 update brings a number of other changes to the iOS 17 operating system, including an Apple Music favorites system, support for AirDrop over the internet, new options to see bank and card balances in the Wallet app, changes to the iPhone 15 Pro Action Button and more, with a full list available in our iOS 17.1 features guide.

Related Roundups: iOS 17, iPadOS 17
Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Top Rated Comments

kc9hzn Avatar
7 weeks ago

Yeah blame France for caring for their citizens, and give the rest the best reception ever until their hairs falls off, just another form of darwinism.
First off, “hairs fall off” is completely the wrong sort of radiation. That’s ionizing radiation and not the sort of radio waves cell phones use. That’s like x-rays and gamma rays, and acute lethal doses at that. From non-ionizing radiation, there’s no strong evidence that it causes cancers or anything of the sort, and the most significant potential for injuries tends to be thermal effects. There’s some inconclusive evidence that talking on the phone could potentially cause brain cancer, but it’s not a strong link.

Second, it looks like Apple has a safety feature on phones (not to mention a battery saving feature) designed to reduce the power the cellular radio puts out when it’s near your body. Rather than test it to see if it does result in less overall exposure, it sounds like France decided Apple had to cut the power levels across the board.

Of course, by that logic, the French government should be putting more effort to end the cultural acceptance of tobacco smoking. After all, the tobacco-cancer link is much stronger than the non-ionizing radiation-cancer link, and it’s lung cancer at that. (Lung cancer metastasizes fairly quickly, since it’s part of the circulatory and pulmonary systems.)
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
crsh1976 Avatar
7 weeks ago

I can’t believe we’re talking about updates to fix radiation levels. What a crapshoot Apple is sometimes.
Actually the real news about what's in 17.1 is crammed in the very last paragraph - the radiation fix is a legal compliance thing that only concerns France and is of little interest to most people.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anthogag Avatar
7 weeks ago
France could use hot iPhones to zap bed bugs.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wildkraut Avatar
7 weeks ago

Blame France ! They are insane for causing this mess
Yeah blame France for caring for their citizens, and give the rest the best reception ever until their hairs falls off, darwinism rules.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wildkraut Avatar
7 weeks ago

I'm traveling and coming home on the 24th. I hope they release it on the 23rd.
Till then...



Attachment Image
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gasu E. Avatar
7 weeks ago

This whole debacle just reminds me that you cannot trust these companies with your health. Remember that. They have one objective: profit for shareholders. It's business 101.
A feature that controls radiation level based on body proximity would seem to exemplify a company that DOES take user's health seriously. Why would you conclude the opposite? A company that just didn't care wouldn't bother implementing such a complex feature.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 17

28 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in December's iOS 17.2 Update

Friday December 1, 2023 2:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 28 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released this December. 1. Help...
anker new xmas

Anker's Cyber Week Sale Enters Final Days With Up to 60% Off Sitewide

Friday December 1, 2023 12:05 pm PST by
Anker's Black Friday/Cyber Week event is entering its final days this weekend, and it's still offering up to 60 percent off sitewide. There are also a few "mystery boxes" that can include hundreds of dollars in savings, if you're willing to risk not knowing what you're buying ahead of time. All of these sales will end on December 3. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.1.2 With Security Fixes

Thursday November 30, 2023 10:12 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2, small updates to the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 operating systems that Apple introduced in September. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 come a few weeks after the release of iOS 17.1.1, another bug fix update. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update....
iPhone 16 Mock Header Updated 1

iPhone 16 to Include Action Button Across Entire Lineup

Thursday November 30, 2023 4:08 pm PST by
The release of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max saw the introduction of an entirely new user-configurable button known as the Action button, and now, MacRumors has seen extensive evidence confirming Apple is planning to include the Action button on the entire iPhone 16 range. Designs and plans for the Action button date back to at least 2021, as the button was intended for release alongside hapt...
paramount plus logo

Apple and Paramount Considering Discounted TV+ Streaming Bundle

Friday December 1, 2023 4:40 am PST by
Apple and Paramount have discussed bundling their TV streaming services at a discount, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal. The companies have talked about offering a combination of Paramount+ and Apple TV+ that would cost less than subscribing to both services separately, according to people familiar with the discussions. The discussions are in their early stages, and it is ...
top stories 2dec2023

Top Stories: iOS 17.1.2 Released, NameDrop Misinformation, and More

Saturday December 2, 2023 6:00 am PST by
Apple employees are back to work following a Thanksgiving break, and that means this week saw a number of new operating system updates for both public release and beta testing. This week also saw some misinformation about Apple's new NameDrop feature making the rounds, while Apple and Goldman Sachs appear to be on the verge of a break-up in their Apple Card and savings account partnership,...
General Apps Messages

Green Bubbles on iPhone to Gain These 7 New Features Next Year

Thursday November 30, 2023 9:00 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but these conversations will still have green bubbles like...