Apple Inc. has issued a warning that its iPhone 12 range and its MagSafe accessories can interfere with implantable medical devices, potentially making them deadly to users.

The problem is that the devices contain magnets and radios that emit electromagnetic fields, which could interfere with pacemakers, defibrillators and other implants. The warning from Apple specifically notes that all MagSafe accessories contain magnets and that the MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo Charger contain radios “that might interfere with medical devices.”

The iPhone 12 is said to contain more magnets than prior iPhones, but they are “not expected to pose a greater risk of magnetic interference to medical devices than prior iPhone models.”

“Medical devices such as implanted pacemakers and defibrillators might contain sensors that respond to magnets and radios when in close contact,” Apple explained further in a support document Saturday. “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). But consult with your physician and your device manufacturer for specific guidelines.”

MacRumors reported Saturday that the support warning from Apple comes after an article was published by the Heart Rhythm Journal earlier this month stating that the iPhone 12 models can “potentially inhibit lifesaving therapy in a patient” because of magnetic interference with implantable medical devices. In a test case, doctors held an iPhone 12 near an implantable cardioverter defibrillator which immediately went into a “suspended” state for the duration of the test.

The article notes that while contemporary studies have shown a minimal risk of electromagnetic interference with ICDs with prior smartphones without magnetic arrays, “medical device manufacturers and implanting physicians should remain vigilant in making patients aware of this significant interaction of the iPhone 12 and other smart wearables with their cardiac implantable electronic devices.”

If there’s an issue, Apple suggested, anyone with an implanted medical device should “stop using your iPhone or MagSafe accessories.”

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