Safe magnets on your phone, think again?

[Prodigy_Smit]

On 1/22/2021 at 7:40 AM, Quackers101 said:

More so if those devices are in the millions of, and becomes scattered around the place.

From all I know about physics magnets in phones and such are far from powerful enough to harm anyone that does not have it on their physical body. 

[freefoo]

I have a MedTronics device for almost thirteen years, not for my heart but implanted on my brain. The only situation I was warned for, are security gates at airports and medical devices such as MRI scanners.

 

After it was placed, I received a strong magnet to shutdown the device in case it should go haywire. The magnet should be placed on the pacemaker and it should down by itself (never tested though).

 

Now I'm eligable for a new phone and I was planning to get an iPhone 12 Pro. I've read the stories about the magnets too. And I remember stories of the iPad cases triggering medical devices too. I have had iPads since its first release with Apple cases and I never had issues with my pacemaker. However, I have no experience with Apple's Smart Cover which has magnets to keep the cover on the iPad.

Now, to make a long story short, I decided not to get an iPhone 12 because of the magnets but to stay on the Android route (sigh).

[Brooksie359]

12 hours ago, freefoo said:

I have a MedTronics device for almost thirteen years, not for my heart but implanted on my brain. The only situation I was warned for, are security gates at airports and medical devices such as MRI scanners.

 

After it was placed, I received a strong magnet to shutdown the device in case it should go haywire. The magnet should be placed on the pacemaker and it should down by itself (never tested though).

 

Now I'm eligable for a new phone and I was planning to get an iPhone 12 Pro. I've read the stories about the magnets too. And I remember stories of the iPad cases triggering medical devices too. I have had iPads since its first release with Apple cases and I never had issues with my pacemaker. However, I have no experience with Apple's Smart Cover which has magnets to keep the cover on the iPad.

Now, to make a long story short, I decided not to get an iPhone 12 because of the magnets but to stay on the Android route (sigh).

There is always the SE or older models if you don't care about having the newest thing. That is if you prefer iso over android enough to make those compromises. 

[Bombastinator]

On 1/21/2021 at 9:36 PM, WereCat said:

I don't see an issue with this. Just don't put that near your devices that keep you alive? Don't stand near the fridge doors as well then.

I put this along with those glowing red electric burners on the stove? Don’t touch em.

[whm1974]

How strong does a Magnet have to be to interfere with Pacemakers and other Medical Devices? Note: I was unaware that Mobile Phones have Magnets to begin with.

 

Microwave Ovens? Do they causes Issues with Medical Devices?

[Bombastinator]

Just now, whm1974 said:

How strong does a Magnet have to be to interfere with Pacemakers and other Medical Devices? Note: I was unaware that Mobile Phones have Magnets to begin with.

 

Microwave Ovens? Do they causes Issues with Medical Devices?

Not very.  The things have magnet based controls so it’s effectively like messing with the settings.  There are hundreds of different versions around.  Implanted pacemakers with magnet based controls and recharging have been around for 20 years.  It’s going to vary by model, and some of em are really old.  Part of the problem with medical devices in general is approval for them can be fast tracked if they’re “similar” to something else. The problem is there have been like 8 or 10 generations of that and the drift level has been getting dangerous. There was a famous problem with knee replacements based on that.

[Chiyawa]

Hmm... I wonder...

 

Since electro-magnetism can causes this potential hazard for those who had implants, I wonder if doctors should describe something like a breast plate (or any similar for other body parts) to shield the electro-magnetism from other electronic device so it doesn't causes problem with the implants?

[egemen404]

On 1/22/2021 at 9:44 AM, RejZoR said:

The ridiculous amount of magnets they stuff everywhere is worrying. I don't have any medical conditions and I currently use Apple Watch, but before this, I was almost religious mechanical watch user and I still have a huge collection. Even though they are not as accurate as quartz watches it's just something magical about an entirely mechanical machine keeping relatively accurate time on your wrist. And just working with speakers and hard drives was an issue in the past, now you basically can't put anything near a mechanical watch as it'll fuck it up with magnets and make it go crazy because it affects the balance wheel spring. And while most expensive watches have those springs made of silicon or other non magnetic alloy, most don't and it's annoying. They just use them way too much everywhere and they are the stupid powerful ones.

I recommend buying such a cheap and poorly balanced mechanical watch that you don't sense the irregularities of magnetization. My Vostok Amphibia costs less than what they ask to get it calibrated, and it loses 40 minutes a day out of the box! I might just as well magnetize it and see if it gets better :P.

[RejZoR]

1 hour ago, egemen404 said:

I recommend buying such a cheap and poorly balanced mechanical watch that you don't sense the irregularities of magnetization. My Vostok Amphibia costs less than what they ask to get it calibrated, and it loses 40 minutes a day out of the box! I might just as well magnetize it and see if it gets better :P.

I regulated most of my watches down to +1 second a day deviation. It usually took 1-2 months before I noticed it's a bit ahead and then I set it back. Always setting them ahead coz it's better to be early than late. Vostok is using Seiko movements which are pretty reliable, but at least cheaper ones are still not very anti-magnetic. You need their SPron 510 alloy balance springs to have that, but they don't come in movements used by Vostok

 

If the watch was tossed around a lot during transport, it's possible that balance wheel got caught on something and it's running shorter now. Also magnets. Big fucking magnets. They make balance spring attract itself to itself since it's so delicate and then it's again running shorter cycles, running faster than it should. You can get cheap demagnetizer that can fix magnetization based problems, but it's annoying doing it regularly if entire world is filled with magnets (I really hate those on laptop edges that get too close to watches for my comfort).

[StDragon]

Pacemakers are located just behind where the front shirt pocket is located; just below the skin. So depending on the gauss level, slipping the phone into the shirt pocket could have an adverse effect on the pacemaker.

[Curufinwe_wins]

4 hours ago, StDragon said:

Pacemakers are located just behind where the front shirt pocket is located; just below the skin. So depending on the gauss level, slipping the phone into the shirt pocket could have an adverse effect on the pacemaker.

Yes, and the particular magnets we are talking about for this device are also just below the surface on the phone. There have always been magnets in phones, but generally smaller and deeper ones. 

 

I mean any design has tradeoffs, unfortunately I think most of the pacemaker crowd won't really know what they are doing, so it is really just better to lightly recommend not getting them. 

[LAwLz]

22 hours ago, StDragon said:

Pacemakers are located just behind where the front shirt pocket is located; just below the skin. So depending on the gauss level, slipping the phone into the shirt pocket could have an adverse effect on the pacemaker.

Good advice Moss.

[freefoo]

On 1/24/2021 at 10:38 PM, Brooksie359 said:

There is always the SE or older models if you don't care about having the newest thing. That is if you prefer iso over android enough to make those compromises. 

I bought the SE for my dad last month and I don't like the smaller display.

I bit the bullet and I cancelled my Ultra 21 order and got an iPhone 12 Pro instead. I used it each day until now and I put it in my pocket. So far my pacemaker is happily running along.

[Fnige]

On 1/25/2021 at 1:31 PM, Bombastinator said:

I put this along with those glowing red electric burners on the stove? Don’t touch em.

Aww  well I guess there goes friday

[Bombastinator]

37 minutes ago, SlimyPython said:

Aww  well I guess there goes friday

This blew right by me.  Possibly some reference I don’t get.

[Fnige]

1 hour ago, Bombastinator said:

This blew right by me.  Possibly some reference I don’t get.

no reference, just joke about me planning to do it friday

[Bombastinator]

1 hour ago, SlimyPython said:

no reference, just joke about me planning to do it friday

You got a pacemaker that you want to get magnets near it?  Might be totally safe, might be extremely unsafe depending on the model.   Old pacemakers had all kinds of weird issues involving airport security too.