Problem Description:
After upgrading to iOS 26, I discovered that the ExtendedDistanceMeasurement feature in the Nearby Interaction framework is not working as expected. On the same device model, the issue did not occur on iOS 18, but it is present on iOS 26 (including the latest iOS 26.2), and it has started affecting the functionality of my app. I hope this issue can be resolved as soon as possible.
Problem Details:
On iOS 26 and later versions (including iOS 26.2), when using an iPhone and an Apple Watch both equipped with second-generation UWB chips, enabling isExtendedDistanceMeasurementEnabled initiates the distance measurement process successfully, but the distance information fails to update. The real-time distance between the devices does not display within the app.
Affected Devices and Versions:
iPhone Model: iPhone 15 Pro Max
iOS Version: iOS 26.2
Apple Watch Model: Apple Watch 10
watchOS Version: 26.2
Example Code:
The issue can be reproduced by adding the following code to the official sample code:
Nearby Interaction Framework Sample Code
private func didReceiveDiscoveryToken(_ token: NIDiscoveryToken) {
if session == nil { initializeNISession() }
if !didSendDiscoveryToken { sendDiscoveryToken() }
os_log("running NISession with peer token: \(token)")
let config = NINearbyPeerConfiguration(peerToken: token)
// The issue can be reproduced by adding the following code to the official sample code
// Enable extended distance measurement if both devices support it
if NISession.deviceCapabilities.supportsExtendedDistanceMeasurement && token.deviceCapabilities.supportsExtendedDistanceMeasurement {
config.isExtendedDistanceMeasurementEnabled = true
}
session?.run(config)
}
Problem Behavior:
When either the iPhone or the Apple Watch does not support the second-generation UWB chip (i.e., deviceCapabilities.supportsExtendedDistanceMeasurement = false), the code works as expected.
However, when both the iPhone and the Apple Watch support the second-generation UWB chip (i.e., deviceCapabilities.supportsExtendedDistanceMeasurement = true), the code fails to work, and the distance does not update — meaning the real-time distance between the devices is not displayed.
Expectation:
I hope this issue can be resolved soon, as it is impacting my app. The problem persists in the latest iOS 26.2, and has yet to be fixed.
