Apple Said to Be Driving Market Growth of Ultra Wideband Applications

Apple's inclusion of Ultra Wideband chips in its devices has driven growth in research into the technology and its potential applications, according to a new report by DigiTimes.

homepodhandoff
Ultra Wideband is a short-range, low-power radio technology that is able to provide more precise indoor positioning than Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi. The distance between two UWB devices can be measured precisely by calculating the time that it takes for a radio wave to pass between them.

Apple's iPhones have included it in the last two series via its custom U1 chip, with other Apple products also supporting UWB. According to today's report, Apple's promotion of Ultra Wideband has been the driving factor behind increased take-up of the technology:

Apple has adopted the UWB technology for iPhone 11 and 12 series, Apple Watch 6 and HomePod mini, while Samsung Electronics has launched UWB-enabled smartphones including the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and the Galaxy Flip 2 and China-based Xiaomi has also offered a UWB-enabled smartphone model, Digitimes Research indicated.

Apple's HomePod 14.4 beta is set to introduce new HomePod mini music handoff functionality that takes advantage of the U1 chip in the device: When an ‌iPhone‌ is near a ‌‌HomePod mini‌‌, it begins a soft haptic touch rhythm that gets faster and faster as the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ gets closer, until the interface to transfer a song between the ‌‌HomePod mini‌‌ and the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ opens.

This functionality will make handoff quicker and more reliable on a ‌‌HomePod mini‌‌ and an ‌iPhone‌ 11 or ‌iPhone‌ 12, thanks to the U1 chips that let the devices better understand where they are in relation to one another.

Apple's rumored "AirTags" will also feature ultra wideband tech, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, while Tile is said to be planning to introduce an upgraded series of item trackers that include a UWB chip for more precise tracking.

Apple opened up its U1 chip to developers in iOS 14 with a "Nearby Interaction" framework, which can stream distance and relative direction between U1-equipped devices, paving the way for new spatial-related user experiences.

Just last week, BMW announced future plans to roll out Digital Key Plus, an enhanced version of Apple's Car Keys feature that incorporates Ultra Wideband technology, enabling drivers to unlock and start their vehicle without needing to take their ‌iPhone‌ out of their pocket or bag.

But with more and more products including the technology, there have been some notable (and surprising) exceptions: Apple's 2020 iPad Pro and new AirPods Max headphones don't include a U1 chip and therefore won't be compatible with future potential Ultra Wideband applications.

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
apple oct 2024 mac tease

Apple Expected to Announce These Two to Three Products 'This Week'

Sunday October 12, 2025 7:05 am PDT by
Apple plans to announce new products "this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple's "Mac Your Calendars" teaser last October In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the products set to be updated this week include the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and "likely" the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, with all three likely to receive a spec bump with Apple's next-generation M5 chip. Gurman...
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
joz macbook tease

Apple Teases Upcoming M5 MacBook Pro Launch: 'Something Powerful is Coming'

Tuesday October 14, 2025 11:59 am PDT by
Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased the launch of an upcoming product, saying "something powerful is coming" on social media. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A short animation accompanying Joswiak's teaser reveals a brief glimpse of a MacBook Pro along with the words "coming soon." The shape of the MacBook Pro is a V, which is the Roman numeral...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...
macbook pro blue

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro Imminent: What to Expect

Tuesday October 14, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac. M5 Chip The MacBook Pro will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip. The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. ...
MacBook Pro M5 Screen

New MacBook Pro Does Not Include a Charger in the Box in Europe

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:59 am PDT by
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store. In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out....

Top Rated Comments

velocityg4 Avatar
62 months ago

It's a good thing Intel is not threatened by a 'lifestyle company' lmao
I believe the CEO's comment was meant in the reverse. Shaming the company for letting a "lifestyle company" beat them on their home turf. When Intel once reigned supreme.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr Beardsley Avatar
62 months ago
I work at a company that relies on bluetooth, and it is horrible. Trying to get accurate ranging information of iBeacons or BLE beacons is very difficult. Speaking of Intel, their bluetooth hardware and drivers for Windows are so very bad. Ever wonder why all the wireless mice come with their own radio transmitter unlike Apple's Magic Mouse? At least on Apple bluetooth is mostly reliable.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coachgq Avatar
62 months ago

The HomePod mini is awesome!

I’m currently using 2 HomePod mini’s in my living room connected to my Apple TV for the TV’s sound and it works great!

The potential for Apple’s U1 chip is huge! Looking forward to future improvements!
I'm blown away by the difference in 1 mini vs 2 minis. The 2 minis stereo-paired really make a great sound.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Justin Cymbal Avatar
62 months ago
The HomePod mini is awesome!

I’m currently using 2 HomePod mini’s in my living room connected to my Apple TV for the TV’s sound and it works great!

The potential for Apple’s U1 chip is huge! Looking forward to future improvements!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
62 months ago

What's awesome about it over a regular BT speaker, like a JBL Charge or something? I'm trying to find a reason to replace mine with this, but couldn't come up with any just yet.
HomePods (including the Mini) are unique in that they're always on, waiting for a user command. And require no other device being nearby, powered on, booted up, and connected. Such as a computer, phone, tablet, etc.

From 20 feet away I can say a command like, "Siri, play blues," and within a couple seconds be treated to a nice collection of all I can eat blues music via Apple Music. That's just a simple example. I could also say, "Siri, play Cross Road Blues by Robert Johnson." And it just happens, with no other devices being powered up and connected (except, obviously, a WiFi and internet connection).

A regular bluetooth speaker cannot give me the above experience. That's why I own five HomePods (and two Minis) in different rooms.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacAddictPM Avatar
62 months ago

No one said that.
Well media reports have stated the new Intel CEO did indeed utter those words to his staff. Apparently he said, “We have to deliver better products to the PC ecosystem than any possible thing that a lifestyle company in Cupertino makes. We have to be that good, in the future.” Check out the article in TechRadar.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)