iPhone and Apple Watch magnets are strong enough to disrupt pacemakers

By Matthew Sparkes

Apple’s iPhone 12 and Watch 6 can cause medical implants such as pacemakers to shut down if held too close to the body, warn researchers.

Such implants often feature a “magnet mode” designed to be deliberately triggered with a strong magnet when a person is undergoing a procedure where interference is possible, such as an MRI scan.

Internal defibrillators in magnet mode will not deliver lifesaving shocks, while pacemakers will drive the heart at a continuous …