It cites a bug in the iOS 17 software and increased background activity.

It says a software update will be issued for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators.

France's move to halt iPhone 12 sales until Apple fixes the radiation issues it detected in two tests this week has raised the prospect of further bans in Europe.

The radiation from mobile phones is a result of the way they work, by transmitting radiofrequency waves, creating electromagnetic fields.

It says the iPhone 12 model is certified by multiple international bodies.

China in recent weeks has widened existing curbs on the use of iPhones by state employees.

The ban comes ahead of an Apple event that analysts believe will be about launching a new line of iPhones, and could trigger concerns among foreign companies operating in China as Sino-US tensions escalate.

Apple is in a delicate position, with its entrenched iPhone battling for share against Android rivals in a mature market, while its next big product – the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset – is not yet in the hands of consumers.

For the just-ended quarter, Apple's profits missed Wall Street expectations for the first time since 2016, dragged down by iPhone sales falling for the first time since 2020.

Demand for smartphones assembled at Foxconn's Zhengzhou plant has helped Apple remain a bright spot in a technology sector battered by consumer spending cutbacks amid surging inflation and interest rates.

The move comes after images emerged on Chinese social media showing people breaking out of the facility, which is run by Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn and employs hundreds of thousands of workers.

China is the last major economy welded to a zero-Covid strategy, persisting with snap lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines in a bid to keep infections to a minimum.