How to use the Measurements app on iPhone

Measurements app has been rejuvenated with LiDAR on iPhone 12 Pro to be faster and more useful.

The Measurements app is the application that Apple has created to know the length of a wall or the size of an object, simply by using the iPhone camera. It is useful for taking measurements regardless of whether you are close to the object or the angle at which you are looking at it (although if these are important measurements we can only recommend that you do some checks using a conventional tape measure).




This is what it was doing when it was released and it is what it continues to do today. But while its functionality hasn't changed, what has done is the iPhone. The addition of a LiDAR scanner to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max has invisibly changed (and improved) the measurement app.

And if it were visible how much their results and agility have improved. If you have one of those phone models, you'll rarely see the "Move iPhone to start" message that greeted you earlier, making everything seem cluttered and slow.

How to measure something using the Measurements app

How to use the Measurements app on iPhone
  1. Open Measurements e point the camera on any object, place or person
  2. Look for the white point which appears in the center of the screen when the Measurements app is ready to start working
  3. Place the point in you want to start measuring
  4. Tap the symbol more capacitor positive (+) lead
  5. Move the camera to so that the white point moves along the object
  6. Touch the symbol again more (+) to stop the measurement

As you move the camera, you will see a line following the white dot. Above there is a label that updates in real time showing the measurement up to that moment.




When you have measured something, you can see the final result. You can also tap the menu button located in the upper left corner.

After tapping it, you will get a floating window showing the final measurement. Or, if you've measured multiple things in the same session, you'll see a list of all the measurements, although you may have to scroll through the list to see them all.

You can read the results, copy them to paste them into some other document, or you can share them.

It's that easy. Now that you know how to use it, how simple it is and how fast it is to get an idea of ​​what things measure, you will surely find opportunities to use it more often.

Sometimes you may need to measure more than one side of an object, or you may want to measure the height of people or the ceiling of a room. 

With the Measurements app you can do it too. We'll start by looking at how to add another segment to a measurement you've taken.

How to extend two-angle measurements in the Measurements app

How to use the Measurements app on iPhone
  1. With the last measurement still on the screen, place the white point at one end (where you want to continue the measurement)
  2. Tap the plus symbol (+) to add a new line e move the camera along another side of the object
  3. Tap the again Plus symbol to end that line
  4. If you want to add a third measure, repeat the process

The measurements will keep the first measurement on the screen as you drag to measure the new side, third angle, or whatever else you need.



The white dot has a "magnetic snap" with vibration feedback so you know exactly when you are in the previous dot.


You can of course read, copy or share the results.

If you are going to measure a rectangle, however, the measurements will understand this (you are finally using the camera and can "see" what you are measuring) and will draw the rectangular shape to make it easier for you to stop at the corners. 

However, the AI ​​in Measures doesn't have a very high coefficient, and sometimes it may not be aware of the rectangle and not draw it, leaving all the work to you.

How to get a more accurate measurement result for iOS

How to use the Measurements app on iPhone
  1. When you have measured something, bring it closer the camera
  2. At some point, as you get closer to the object, the measurements will change into a more accurate measurement
  3. Instead of a straight white line, labeled with distance, you will see a ruler-shaped line that will allow you to see how close or approximate you are to the end point you wanted to measure.
  4. Move the camera away, put the object back into the camera and the usual white line will reappear

Once you get closer with the camera and the white line moves to the ruler, you can reposition the white point to leave the measurement in the exact spot and that it is absolutely accurate (although, sadly, your finger will always be in the center).



How to use the Measurements app on iPhone

How to automatically measure a person's height in the Measurements app

All of this works with objects, places and people. In most cases, some situations can cause incorrect measurements, such as when something is in a gray area (with a poorly defined border).


This is more common when you are trying to measure someone who is standing in front of you, but there is a table in front of you. Have them come out from behind the table so that you and the measurement app can see them unobstructed.

Measure will interpret that a person is in front of you and automatically show their height without you having to do anything special. However, if the person is backlit and the background is very bright, as the result is displayed in white, it may be virtually unreadable.

But it will be pretty much correct, and will have done it automatically in a second, thanks to LiDAR.

So that improvement in the cameras of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max had an unexpected impact on a little-mentioned app like the Measurements app on iOS.

To have fun!

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