This little known iPhone trick will help you become a DIY master

Date:
Sat, 21 May 2022 15:00:27 +0000

Description:
Level that spirit and master the Measure app with this under-appreciated iPhone tool.

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One of the best things about the modern world is that you can have a gadget
in your pocket for months or even years, and still be surprised at the cool little things it can do. This week it was the turn of the iPhone to make me sit up and go hey, youre a neat little guy, arent you?

Now Im not going to pretend you all don't know about this feature already.
But the iPhones pre-installed Measure app proved invaluable to me this week, and Ill be using it forevermore as a result. Thats because its not only a quick tool for measuring things, but because it also doubles up as a very accurate spirit level.

Ive been in my new(ish) home for about six months now, and its been time to put the finishing touches to the place. Theres some pot plants for the
balcony sorted out, some smart connected decorative lights on the wall, and, finally, some frames for prints and pictures.

The previous owners of the place had already left in place some handy picture hooks, but they felt a bit off all my frames looked wonky against each
other. And, thanks to the iPhones Measure app, which has slowly been
improving since its introduction in iOS 12, I was able to quickly determine that, yep, I was living in a crooked house. A few tweaked hooks later, and Im the vision of perpendicular accuracy. Heres how you can be too. How to use
the iPhone Measure apps spirit level

You dont need to download Measure its pre-installed on every iPhone. But if you cant find it, fire it up from your iPhones Utilities folder.

When you first open the app, itll be using your iPhones camera in its default measure mode (more on that later), which uses augmented reality (AR) technology to measure things without the need for tape. You can ignore that instead tap the small Level icon on the right.

The app will then turn into a spirit level, using your devices accelerometer and gyroscope sensors to establish whether or not youre on a perfectly flat-and-balanced surface.

You can use the feature in two ways. If youre looking to measure a large flat surface, you can place the iPhone on its back, and youll see two white circles. Making them overlap will ensure the surface is level the screen
will turn green when thats the case.

If youre measuring something less wide, turn the iPhone on its edge, and
place it on the surface. Youll then be presented with a more traditional spirit-level interface, with a white line displaying the exact angle youre
off by. Again, aligning the surface until it is level will see the iPhone screen go green. (Image credit: Future) Ditch the tape measure

As mentioned above, the apps default mode is as a tape measure, and if youve not used it before, its really handy. A modern iPhones camera system and sensors are so advanced now as to be able to sense depth a key requirement
of augmented reality (AR) interfaces. As such, the app is able to determine
an objects distance from the iPhone, and use this with relative accuracy to give you a measurement of somethings length on screen.

The app is pretty good at determining straight edges of objects (handy for measuring shelves and the like). It then uses a pin system to let you draw a line between two points that youd like to know the height of. If you get in close to an item youre measuring from a distance, the onscreen measuring tool will become a full-on ruler, letting you know the precise distance between points of the element youre measuring.

While I wouldnt use it for architectural purposes, as its still requiring you to accurately determine the exact edges of the object youre measuring, its a great way to get a very good estimate of the length of something in a pinch handy, say, for when walking around IKEA and youre looking to get an idea of whether or not something will more-or-less fit a gap in your home.

And, in one final neat trick, if you point it at a person, itll instantly recognize them as a human and measure their height handy for establishing if your Tinder date may have been exaggerating a little on their profile! Will the iPhone 14 have any new tricks up its sleeve?



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/this-little-known-iphone-trick-will-help-you-be come-a-diy-master/


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