The iPhone's Ultra Wideband chip does more than you might think

Since the iPhone 11, Apple has included a U1 chip, later upgraded to the U2 with the iPhone 15 lineup, in every smartphone it sells, minus the more affordable iPhone SE, of course.

expedia.comCar Rental Companies - Great Deals on Car Rentals

Ad

Ultra Wideband chips can also be found in the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, (other than the Apple Watch SE), HomePod (2nd generation), HomePod mini, and AirTags. The U1 and U2 chips support a feature called “Ultra Wideband.” Yet, have you ever wondered what Ultra Wideband does and why so many devices support it?

A blue iPhone 15 Pro leaning on a box© Provided by Pocket-lint

Internal storage or iCloud? We breakdown everything you need to consider regarding storage when buying a new iPhone

What is Ultra Wideband?

Its all about wireless communication

A person holding a Apple iPhone 15 Pro© Provided by Pocket-lint

Ultra Wideband, or UWB as commonly abbreviated, is a short-range wireless communication protocol for devices similar to Bluetooth. While UWB allows for device-to-device communication like Bluetooth, it’s far more powerful and can handle much more data. UWB can be best thought of as a low-powered, fast, and secure way for nearby devices to talk to each other.

Related video: 'CyberGuy': How to seamlessly sync your Apple Watch with new iPhone (FOX News)

Sometimes you just need to know the basics.

Loaded: 11.28%

Play

Current Time 0:00

/

Duration 1:45

Quality Settings

Captions

Fullscreen

FOX News

'CyberGuy': How to seamlessly sync your Apple Watch with new iPhone

Unmute

0

View on Watch

Unlike Bluetooth, which only connects devices and does not know where they are, UWB allows for accurately determining the location of devices in 3D space down to a few inches of precision, aka “spatial awareness” in Apple speak. UWB is an industry-standard less prone to network noise, interference, and overlapping with similar signals.

Amazon Prime Day 2024© Provided by Pocket-lint

Amazon's massive shopping holiday is nearly upon us, and now we know when it starts.

What is UWB used for on the iPhone?

Ultra Wideband is used for the following within the Apple ecosystem:

A view of the wiggling apps in the Edit Home Screen mode on an iPhone© Provided by Pocket-lint

Spring cleaning isn't just for scrubbing baseboards and organizing closets -- your iPhone is probably due for a clean out too.

Can you turn off UWB?

Some people may want to

Steps for turning off an iPhone's U1 or U2 chip.© Provided by Pocket-lint

UWB on iOS is enabled by default, and disabling the chip requires knowing precisely what hidden toggle within Settings to tap. Apple continues to be an industry leader in privacy and performance—and for most, the convenience and functionality UWB provides are worth any potential drawback concerns.

expedia.comCar Rental Companies - Great Deals on Car Rentals

Ad

Still, UWB does allow for hyper-accurate location data, which can be a concern for some, and it requires battery resources, however limited, to operate, so others may want to minimize their battery consumption. Some users may prefer to disable features they aren’t using or turn off UWB as a troubleshooting step when diagnosing a wireless connectivity issue.

To disable UWB on your iPhone:

1. Open Settings
2. Scroll down to Privacy & Security
3. Tap Location Services
4. Scroll down to System Services
5. Toggle Network & Wireless to off
6. Tap Turn Off