GoKawiilMishaal Rahman / Android Authority
An Android phone can replace several everyday gadgets — that’s nothing new. But what most people don’t realize is that it goes well beyond the obvious stuff like cameras, flashlights, radios, and calculators. The sensors packed into your phone can, with the right app, do things you’d never think to ask of it. We’re talking tape measures, metal detectors, sound meters, thermometers — things you’d otherwise have to dig out of a drawer.
Which of these would you actually use your phone for? 34 votes Tape measure 53 % Metal detector 26 % Spirit level 12 % Sound/light meter 9 %
Use your phone as a tape measure
Pankil Shah / Android Authority
That camera on your phone can do a lot more than take photos. It can work in tandem with your phone’s sensors to measure objects and distances with decent accuracy. This doesn’t work out of the box, though. You’ll need to download an app like Tape Measure or Quick Measure if you’re on a Galaxy phone.
You can use your phone to estimate the length, width, height, and even the area of a room or a piece of furniture.
Once you have it, simply point your phone’s camera at anything, and it’ll first detect flat surfaces like floors or walls. You can then select measurement points to estimate length, width, height, and even area. It works with furniture, walls, doorways, devices, you name it. It even works for measuring someone’s height.
On flagship phones, these measurement apps use LiDAR to get the most accurate results. On budget Android phones, ARCore’s software-based depth estimation does the trick. Either way, I wouldn’t advise you to rely on it for anything where accuracy truly matters.
Measure ambient light and noise
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