Apple Issues Health Warning for Keeping iPhone Six Inches From Your Chest

Apple is warning millions of people to keep their iPhone six inches from their chest, saying the device could interfere with pacemakers.

Apple is warning users who have a pacemaker or other implanted medical device to keep it. iphone at least six inches from their chest.

The tech giant warns that magnets and electromagnetic fields can interfere with machines, potentially resulting in death.

It is estimated that about 3 million Americans have an implanted pacemaker and 200,000 have a defibrillator.

Updated warning from apple 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 a person with an implant.

Last month, research has shown that people who use FitBits use Apple watches and other similar devices may interfere with implanted devices.

Apple now warns iPhone 12, 13, 14 users to hold the device at least six inches from their chest if they have a pacemaker or ICD implanted (file photo)

Apple now warns iPhone 12, 13, 14 users to hold the device at least six inches from their chest if they have a pacemaker or ICD implanted (file photo)

“Under certain conditions, magnets and electromagnetic fields can interfere with medical devices,” Apple wrote in a blog post.

For example, implanted pacemakers and defibrillators may contain sensors that respond to magnets and radios when they are in close contact.

“To avoid any potential interaction with these types 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 this.

These warnings came up with the release of the iPhone 12 in October 2020. A few months later, the American Heart Association warned about the presence of magnets in them.

“We have always known that magnets can interfere with electronic devices implanted in the heart, but we were surprised by the strength of the magnets used in the magnetic technology of the iPhone 12,” says Dr. Michelle Wu, a researcher at Brown University. said in 2021.

In general, a magnet can change the timing of a pacemaker or deactivate the rescue functions of a defibrillator, and this study indicates that everyone needs to be aware that electronic devices with magnets can interfere with electronic devices implanted in the heart.

A person may have a pacemaker implanted when they suffer from bradycardia, a condition that occurs when the heart beats too slowly.

It can also be used in rare cases of tachycardia, where the heart beats too fast or unevenly.

An irregular heartbeat puts a person at an increased risk of stroke or heart failure.

The pacemaker sends electrical impulses to the heart that cause it to beat at a constant rate.

Some people who have an irregular heartbeat may receive an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) instead.

They are used for people diagnosed with ventricular arrhythmia, a condition that forms when a person’s irregular heartbeat is stimulated from the lower chest.

Sometimes he delivers an electric shock to the heart when he finds that the heartbeat has gone out of rhythm.

Apple warns that devices must be at least six inches away from the heart

AirPods

  • AirPods and charging case
  • AirPods Pro and charging case
  • AirPods Max and smart case

Apple Watch

  • Apple Watch
  • Apple Watch bands with magnets
  • Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Accessories

homepod

ipad

  • ipad
  • iPad mini
  • iPad Air
  • iPad Pro
  • iPad Smart Covers and Smart Folios
  • iPad Smart Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio
  • Magic Keyboard Tome
  • Magic keyboard for iPad

iphone

  • iphone 12 models
  • iphone 13 models
  • iphone 14 models
  • MagSafe Accessories

Poppy

  • Mac Mini
  • Mac Pro
  • Macbook Air
  • Macbook Pro
  • iMac
  • Apple Professional Display XDR

blows

  • Bits Flex
  • Beats studio buds
  • BeatsX
  • Powerbeats Pro
  • UrBits3