iOS 13Source: Rene Ritchie/iMore

What you need to know

  • The latest iOS beta has a toggle to disable Ultra Wideband.
  • The iOS 13.3.1 beta 2 feature was spotted on Twitter.
  • It's more than likely a response to previous reports that Location Services couldn't be fully switched off in iOS.

Following reports that Location Services in iOS couldn't be fully switched off, it has emerged that iOS 13.3.1 beta 2 contains a toggle to turn off Ultra Wideband services, hopefully resolving the issue.

In December it emerged that Apple's iPhone 11 would continue to intermittently seek user location information data, even if every single app and setting had Location Services disabled. It emerged that some services which used and requested location data could not be turned off, meaning the Location Services arrow icon would appear from time to time.

It later emerged that this was due to the Ultra Wideband chip in the new iPhones. As this feature is not approved everywhere in the world, the phone was checking to see if UWB could be used in that location. An Apple spokesperson confirmed that this was done entirely on-device and that the data was not collected.

Get an iPhone SE with Mint Mobile service for $30/mo

Regardless, it seems that an upcoming iteration of iOS 13 will allow users to manually switch off the feature.

The setting is available in Privacy > Location Services > System Services and is titled 'Networking & Wireless'. As mentioned this is only in the most recent iOS beta so isn't available to the public as yet. It does, however, seem that Apple has listened to concerns regarding UWB and its use of Location data.

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.