How to Instantly Measure Someone’s Height on Your IPhone
Many of us have been using the iPhone since the beginning, and its “hidden” or “secret” features have been known to us for ages. But from time to time I learn something new about iOS. This time it’s a feature that allows you to instantly measure someone with your iPhone’s camera.
This feature isn’t new , but it’s only available on a select group of iPhones, especially “Pro” models. Whether you have an iPhone 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, 14 Pro, or 14 Pro Max, you have an instant people measurement tool in your pocket. However, even if you have the most recent iPhone 14 or 14 Plus, you don’t have one. (It’s strange that a brand-new iPhone doesn’t have the feature that the two-year-old iPhone 12 Pro has.)
How LiDAR Works on the iPhone
Even if Apple wanted to add this feature to non-professional iPhones, it most likely could not – the measurement function is hardware based on the LiDAR sensor built into the cameras of professional iPhones. If you have one, you’ve probably noticed this sensor as a seemingly redundant dot on your iPhone’s camera body. This LiDAR sensor is a powerful tool for augmented reality : it allows your iPhone to map its surroundings by sending pulses of light into the room. When those light pulses bounce off the room and hit the LiDAR sensor again, your iPhone measures how long the process took.
One of the applications of such a sensor is the ability to instantly measure a person while he is standing in front of the camera from head to toe. But you won’t find this option in the Camera app.
How to measure someone with your iPhone
To measure a friend using your iPhone, open the Measure app and frame your friend in the Measure camera viewfinder, making sure their entire body is visible. Once they line up, Measure will determine their height by displaying a count next to their head. You can then use the Measure shutter button to take a photo of the subject and its estimated height.
Before you ask, yes, you can make this feature work in a mirror. But because you are standing so far away, the results are not accurate. “In the mirror I’m 3 feet 10” would make sense to exactly zero people.
[ Macrumors ]