Apple issues health warning to keep iPhones six inches away from your chest
Apple is issuing a health warning to millions to hold their iPhone six inches from their chest because the device can interfere with pacemakers
Apple warns users with a pacemaker or other implanted medical device to keep their iPhone at least six inches from their chest.
The tech giant warns that the magnets and electromagnetic field could interfere with the machines’ functions – which could be fatal.
About 3 million Americans have an implanted pacemaker and 200,000 have a defibrillator, estimates suggest.
Apple’s updated warning now includes the latest generation iPhone 13 and 14. Airpods, Apple watches and accessories, HomePods, Ipads, Macs and Beats headphones should also not be placed near the chest of someone with an implant.
Last month, a study found that people using FitBits, Apple Watches and other similar devices may interfere with implanted devices.
Apple now warns that users of the iPhones 12, 13, 14 should hold the device at least six inches from their chest if they have a pacemaker or ICD device implanted (file photo)
“Under certain circumstances, magnets and electromagnetic fields can interfere with medical devices,” Apple wrote in a blog post.
“Implanted pacemakers and defibrillators, for example, may contain sensors that respond to magnets and radios when they are in close contact.
“To avoid potential interactions with these kinds of medical devices, keep your Apple product at a safe distance from your medical device.”
Many electronic devices carry this risk, and people who receive these implants are usually aware of it.
These warnings arose with the release of the iPhone 12 in October 2020. Months later, the Americans Heart Association issued a warning about the magnets in it.
“We’ve always known that magnets can interfere with implantable electronic devices in the heart, but we were surprised by the strength of the magnets used in the iPhone 12 magnet technology,” said Dr. Michelle Wu, a Brown University researcher, said in 2021.
“In general, a magnet can change the timing of a pacemaker or deactivate the life-saving functions of a defibrillator, and this research indicates that everyone should be aware that electronic devices containing magnets can interfere with implantable electronic devices in the heart.”
A person may have a pacemaker implanted if they suffer from bradycardia, a condition that occurs when the heart beats too slowly.
It can also be used in rare cases for tachycardia, when the heart is beating too fast or irregularly.
An irregular heartbeat puts a person at increased risk of stroke or heart failure.
A pacemaker sends electrical pulses to the heart that encourage it to beat regularly.
Some people who suffer from an irregular heartbeat may be given an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) instead.
These are used for people diagnosed with ventricular arrhythmia, a disease that develops when a person’s irregular heartbeat is spurred from the bottom of their chest.
It will occasionally deliver an electric shock to the heart when it detects that the heartbeat has gone out of rhythm.