Don't update! iOS 13 release breaking AirDrop for some people
If you are one of those who tend to keep their iPhones up to date, better stay away from the latest update from Apple! Over the last few days, multiple reports have indicated the new iOS 13.1.3 release is breaking AirDrop, a critical file-sharing feature, on select iPhone models. Here's more about the weird issue and how it can be fixed.
iOS 13.1.3 causing Ultra Wideband error on iPhone 11
As iOS 13.1.3 started rolling out, a number of people began witnessing an error prompt on their iPhones. The message read 'Ultra Wideband Update Failed', further telling users that their device cannot use Ultra Wideband until it gets updated. However, it only appeared for people using the new iPhone 11 models, which happen to be the only iPhones carrying the U1 Ultra Wideband Chip.
Ultra Wideband ties to AirDrop
Now, at first, the error message appears to be nothing, but if you look closely, you may realize that the Ultra Wideband chip is what drives AirDrop - Apple's popular file-sharing service - on the iPhone 11 series. So, in essence, the failure of this particular element may lead to issues with AirDrop, which may ultimately affect your iPhone-to-iPhone or iPhone-to-Mac file transfer experience.
Other Apple releases also creating the same problem
While the issue doesn't seem that widespread, there are some Apple Forum complaints that indicate the error has surfaced on other iterations of iOS too. This, in particular, includes iOS 13.1.1, iOS 13.1.2, and iOS 13.2 beta 3 update, which has just started rolling out for people testing beta builds of iOS. More worryingly, there's no fix for it either.
No word from Apple on the matter
So far, Apple has neither commented on the issue nor detailed when we might see a fix for the same. Some users were able to fix the error by putting their iPhones in DFU mode and restoring the iOS firmware, but others found no solution and had to get their iPhone 11 unit replaced from Apple.
