Pacemakers & cell phones ... iPhone 12 in particular

[jhsachs]

A couple of years ago the FDA issued a general warning about using cell phones around pacemakers. The sense of it was that cell phone radio emissions theoretically could interfere with pacemaker operation. There was no evidence that they actually do so, but the warning was issued out of an abundance of caution.

A person close to me got a pacemaker last week, and in the (extensive) post-op instructions was a caution, not about RFI from cell phones in general, but about an especially strong magnet in the iPhone 12. It advises keeping the phone at least a foot away from the pacemaker. The wording is not very specific, but it seems to apply even when the phone is not in use, and perhaps even when it is turned off.

As the otherwise happy owner of an iPhone 12 Mini, I'm concerned about this. Does the iPhone 12 really have an especially strong magnet? Does the Mini? How probable is it that this is a real problem?

 

[USAFRet]

A couple of years ago the FDA issued a general warning about using cell phones around pacemakers. The sense of it was that cell phone radio emissions theoretically could interfere with pacemaker operation. There was no evidence that they actually do so, but the warning was issued out of an abundance of caution.

A person close to me got a pacemaker last week, and in the (extensive) post-op instructions was a caution, not about RFI from cell phones in general, but about an especially strong magnet in the iPhone 12. It advises keeping the phone at least a foot away from the pacemaker. The wording is not very specific, but it seems to apply even when the phone is not in use, and perhaps even when it is turned off.

As the otherwise happy owner of an iPhone 12 Mini, I'm concerned about this. Does the iPhone 12 really have an especially strong magnet? Does the Mini? How probable is it that this is a real problem?

Don't put the phone, any phone, in a chest pocket near the pacemaker. Or any device with a strong magnet.
Problem solved.

 

[hotaru.hino]

The iPhone since 12 has magnets on the back for the MagSafe charger, which is strong enough to hold the phone up by the charger cable if you really wanted to. However, I don't think these are rare-earth magnets.

But in any case, as was mentioned, just don't put the phone anywhere near the chest if you can help it. The FDA is being overly cautious here (and for good reason)

 

[jhsachs]

USAFRet, hotaru, I appreciate the effort you made to answer, but I can't help feeling that you're answering a different question than the one I asked.

The iPhone is mine. The pacemaker is another person's. The iPhone lives in proximity to my chest, not theirs.

Also, I didn't ask for advice; i asked for information. Are your answers based on certain knowledge that the iPhone 12 (but no earlier or later model) does have an unusually strong magnet? On an assumption that if the FDA says it, it must be true? Are you simply bypassing the question and telling me that it's prudent to follow the FDA's advice? (I agree; that's not what I asked.)

By the way I looked up "MagSafe" and learned that the iPhone 13 and 14 have it, too. I can't think of a reason why they shouldn't have an equally strong magnet. They both weigh slightly more than the iPhone 12, so if the magnet is supposed to be "strong enough to hold the phone up by the charger cable," their magnets should be stronger if they are different at all.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

It does have magnets. and you’re supposed to keep it as far away from the medical device as possible as all the FDA documentation says.

What is really the point of this question when you already knew the answer from Research?

 

[USAFRet]

USAFRet, hotaru, I appreciate the effort you made to answer, but I can't help feeling that you're answering a different question than the one I asked.

The iPhone is mine. The pacemaker is another person's. The iPhone lives in proximity to my chest, not theirs.

Also, I didn't ask for advice; i asked for information. Are your answers based on certain knowledge that the iPhone 12 (but no earlier or later model) does have an unusually strong magnet? On an assumption that if the FDA says it, it must be true? Are you simply bypassing the question and telling me that it's prudent to follow the FDA's advice? (I agree; that's not what I asked.)

By the way I looked up "MagSafe" and learned that the iPhone 13 and 14 have it, too. I can't think of a reason why they shouldn't have an equally strong magnet. They both weigh slightly more than the iPhone 12, so if the magnet is supposed to be "strong enough to hold the phone up by the charger cable," their magnets should be stronger if they are different at all.

Does the iPhone 12 really have an especially strong magnet? Does the Mini? How probable is it that this is a real problem?

'Especially strong', compared to what? I'm reasonably certain the FDA has not tested every single phone on the planet.

'How big a problem'?
Given that the FDA has raised the issue, and given that this is the thing that keeps a persons heart beating....I'd want to reduce the potential for problems down to as close to zero as I could.

I'd not be giving my pacemaker infused friend a hug with the phone in my shirt pocket. Mini or otherwise.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Even if the answer to what you're looking for is "yes, the iPhone has strong magnets," or "no, the iPhone doesn't have strong magnets," is that going to change anything you were going to do before?