How to measure height with your iPhone

With The Measure App’s Height tool

The Height tool is built for this:

1. Choose Height in the tool strip and move the phone slowly so it can find the floor.
2. Aim at the floor directly below what you’re measuring and tap +.
3. Aim at the top. Height is always measured straight up, even if you tilt the phone, so you don’t need to hold it level.
4. Tap + to finish, and save it if you want to keep it.

Tips for a steadier result

• Start on a clear floor point. The floor directly below the object is the anchor for everything; if the camera can’t see it, start again.
• Stand only as far back as you need to see the top. Camera measurements get harder over distance; Apple suggests about 0.5 to 3 metres (2 to 10 feet) for its own Measure app (Apple).
• Measure twice. If two readings differ a lot, take a third and look at what changed.

When a tape measure is better

For anything you’re building, fitting or ordering, such as a door, a shelf or a made-to-measure blind, use a tape measure or laser measure. Phone measurements are estimates. Apple says so about its own app (Apple), and The Measure App labels its readings the same way.

Measuring lengths and angles too

The same app measures lengths and angles with the camera, and its bubble level checks whether something stands straight.