In France, Apple is selling theiPhone 13 with earphones included. While the Cupertino-based company stopped including earphones with the iPhone starting with the iPhone 12, a legal requirement related to theradio frequency energy requires headphones to be included in the box with smartphones.
iPhone 13 with earphones included: France says yes
This situation is centered around the potential brain damage when absorbing radio frequency energy. The legitimacy or impact of this can be debated but many countries have set a legal limit on the radio frequency output power. In Apple’s case, the iPhone takes advantage of the proximity sensor to detect when you hold the phone against your head and then reduce the RF output.
But in France, regulators have taken a step forward with a law. The latter states that users should be actively encouraged to avoid holding their phone to the side of their head. Instead, the country recommends using headphones when on the phone. The specific objective of the French legislation is to protect 14-year-old children e younger.
For this reason, France requires that smartphones are sold with earphones: “An accessory that allows you to limit the exposure of the head to radioelectric emissions during communications”. You can find a full summary of the law on this site.
First shared by a user on the MacRumors forum, Apple is including wired headsets in the box with the iPhone 13, just as it did with the iPhone 12. Apple has also kept its clever “box within a box” solution. Just open the outer box: then you find the iPhone 13 box and, once that is removed, you find the earphones hidden underneath.
This allows Apple to use the same box as the iPhone 13 and the packaging process for all iPhones, including earphones and other items.