Apple's U1 chip has been unlocked in four additional countries, meaning features like Precision Finding will now work where the chip has been unlocked.
Apple's Ultra Wideband U1 Chip Unlocked in Argentina, Pakistan, Paraguay and Solomon Islands
Previously, a lot of AirTag users found out the hard way that Precision Finding is not working for them at all, as if the feature didn't exist in the first place. It was simply because the U1 chip was disabled in their region / country. With the release iOS 14.7, Apple has went ahead and unlocked the U1 Ultra Wideband chip in four more countries, which are as follows:
- Argentina
- Pakistan
- Paraguay
- Solomon Islands
The places where the chip is still disabled are as follows, as per Apple's Ultra Wideband availability page:
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Indonesia
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Nepal
- Russia
- Tajikistan
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
Keep in mind that the Ultra Wideband chip is only available in iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 lineup of smartphones. If you have something older than that and don't see features like Precision Finding working, then it's completely normal as those older iPhones do not have a built-in U1 chip.
Apart from Precision Finding for AirTag, Apple uses the U1 chip in other great ways as well. For example, it is used in AirDrop to find contacts around you by simply pointing your phone at them. Of course, they should have a U1-enabled iPhone as well for it to work. Apart from that, HomePod mini also features a built-in U1 chip.
If you were holding back from buying the AirTag because U1 was not available in your region then you can go ahead with your purchase.
About the author: Uzair has been writing about tech for a little under 10 years. Started off in the Symbian days, migrated to Android, eventually settling on iOS and Mac to make a living. Loves photography, drones, talking about the latest tech, and firmly believes that iPad is the future of computing. Served as Editor-in-Chief with Redmond Pie for five years, author at The Readers Eye and many other freelance gigs. Wccftech is now his current home.
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