Tips on using iPhone as a digital spirit level?

[johntherazz]

I‘d like to use the iPhone’s handy built in digital spirit level (in the Measurements app) to check if a surface is completely flat, but can’t work out if the level takes into account the camera protrusion on the phone or not. I’m guessing not— which means I can only place the phone flat on the edge of the object I’m trying to measure, with the camera bump hanging over the edge. Does anyone know if that’s really the case, or if the level actually has been calibrated to take the camera bump on individual models of phone into account? I’d rather place the phone flat, not on its side, so I can check the level across two axes (as it seems to be designed to do).

 

[splifingate]

I‘d like to use the iPhone’s handy built in digital spirit level (in the Measurements app) to check if a surface is completely flat, but can’t work out if the level takes into account the camera protrusion on the phone or not. I’m guessing not— which means I can only place the phone flat on the edge of the object I’m trying to measure, with the camera bump hanging over the edge. Does anyone know if that’s really the case, or if the level actually has been calibrated to take the camera bump on individual models of phone into account? I’d rather place the phone flat, not on its side, so I can check the level across two axes (as it seems to be designed to do).

It just so happens that I just purchased a new 13-mini yesterday, and it's not yet in a case . . . so I did a test on my desk



This is with it laying camera-side down.

I can get it to 0º/green if I nudge it a little on the charging end.

hth

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Well there's one simple way to test this. Lay it on the edge of a surface with the camera bump hanging over the side. Check the tilt. Then turn it around and lay it in the same location with the camera on the surface.

EDIT: I just realized this doesn't quite answer your question. I'm skeptical that the app is calibrated to take into account the presence of the camera bump, because then how would it know if you were using a case that takes the bump out of the equation? You can always use the above tip to see how much of a difference it makes and use that to adjust accordingly.

EDIT 2: I just tried this with my iPhone XR, and I get the same tilt readings with the case on and off. Either the bump makes less than 1° of a difference to the tilt, or this is not a very accurate method of checking the tilt.

 

[johntherazz]

Well there's one simple way to test this. Lay it on the edge of a surface with the camera bump hanging over the side. Check the tilt. Then turn it around and lay it in the same location with the camera on the surface.

EDIT: I just realized this doesn't quite answer your question. I'm skeptical that the app is calibrated to take into account the presence of the camera bump, because then how would it know if you were using a case that takes the bump out of the equation? You can always use the above tip to see how much of a difference it makes and use that to adjust accordingly.

EDIT 2: I just tried this with my iPhone XR, and I get the same tilt readings with the case on and off. Either the bump makes less than 1° of a difference to the tilt, or this is not a very accurate method of checking the tilt.

My camera bump is a bit larger and definitely makes a difference to the reading. The problem is finding a test surface which I can be sure is totally flat in order to test the ‘bump on/bump off’ readings. I’m pretty sure they’re not going to calibrate each spirit level to take into account the dozens of different cameras (each a slightly different thickness) on phones which the app supports. It’s a shame they don’t make it clear, though, because I basically just want to stick this on top of my washing machine and find out if it’s level or not (as per its installation instructions) and I refuse to go anywhere near a spirit level with a bubble in it!

 

[splifingate]

As we're working with a 0.0027777 margin of error with each degree of camber, I can only imagine that the levelness of your wash-bin will be as level as level may permit