The Heart Rhythm Society and Apple warn about iPhone 12 magnets and medical devices, implants

Placing an iPhone 12 model too close could interfere with implants and medical devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators.

A device programmer shows the suspension of ICD therapies (orange bar, red arrow) with iPhone 12 laying over a patient’s chest (green arrow) and the fluoroscopy of iPhone 12 showing the circular magnet array (yellow arrow). Picture: Heart Rhythm Society

Placing an iPhone 12 model too close could interfere with implants and medical devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators.

Apple has issued a warning about it in a blog post. The warning covers the magnets inside iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and a range of MagSafe accessories.

The warning follows concerns in some medical circles, including by The Heart Rhythm Society, a specialist body that purports to represent medical, allied health, and science professionals from more than 70 countries who specialize in cardiac rhythm disorders.

The society this month produced a short paper (shared by financialeditiorial.com) that says where one author raised the possibility of device-device interaction due to presence of a strong magnetic array in the iPhone and MagSafe compatible cases.

“We thus tested this interaction on a patient with a Medtronic Inc. (Minneapolis, MN, USA) ICD. Institutional Review Board approved the study.

“Once the iPhone was brought close to the ICD over the left chest area, immediate suspension of ICD therapies was noted which persisted for the duration of the test. This was reproduced multiple times with different positions of the phone over the pocket.

“We hereby bring an important public health issue concerning the newer generation iPhone 12 which can potentially inhibit lifesaving therapy in a patient particularly while carrying the phone in upper pockets.”

Apple in its new blog post does acknowledge that the magnets and electromagnetic fields “might interfere with medical devices”.

“Medical devices such as implanted pacemakers and defibrillators might contain sensors that respond to magnets and radios when in close contact,” the Apple blog post says.

“To avoid any potential interactions with these devices, keep your iPhone and MagSafe accessories a safe distance away from your device – more than 6 inches/15 cm apart or more than 12 inches/30 cm apart if wirelessly charging.”

The blog post says Apple users should consult their doctor and device manufacturer.

“Consult your physician and medical device manufacturer for information specific to your medical device and whether you need to maintain a safe distance of separation between your medical device and iPhone or any MagSafe accessories.

“Manufacturers often provide recommendations on the safe use of their devices around wireless or magnetic products to prevent possible interference.

“If you suspect iPhone or any MagSafe accessories are interfering with your medical device, stop using your iPhone or MagSafe accessories.”

The Apple blog post also says that while all iPhone 12 models contain more magnets than previous iPhone models, they‘re not expected to pose a greater risk of magnetic interference to medical devices than those older models.

Most computer and phone manufacturers are adopting USB-C charging as a standard, as the same port can be used for both fast charging and fast data transfers, including in some cases ultra fast Thunderbolt 3 transfers.

Apple appears to be reviving MagSafe magnetic-connecting charging across devices. MagSafe is currently available on iPhone 12 models and there are fresh rumours it may return to MacBooks.