USA TODAY International Edition
Apple: Charge iPhone 12, MagSafe safely
Keep gadgets, medical devices a distance apart
Apple is warning owners of the iPhone 12 and any MagSafe charging accessories to keep the gadgets at a “safe distance” from medical devices.
According to a support page on Apple’s website updated Saturday, the tech giant advises owners keep medical devices at least 6 inches away from medical devices or 12 inches if they are wirelessly charging.
The iPhone 12 as well as MagSafe, a line of accessories including cases built to make wirelessly charging the smartphones easier, contain magnets to help connect better. The smartphones also have “components and radios that emit electromagnetic fields.”
The support page says devices such as implanted pacemakers “might contain sensors that respond to magnets and radios when in close contact.”
Apple suggests users get in touch with their doctor or the maker of their medical device to find out how the new iPhone or accessories might have on the device.
A recent study in the Heart Rhythm Journal tested the compatibility of the iPhone 12 with a patient who had a Medtronic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator ( ICD), which is used to manage cardiac rhythms. The study said that when the iPhone was brought close to the ICD, “immediate suspension of ICD therapies was noted which persisted for the duration of the test.”