Third-party developers offered up new apps to measure real-world spaces and objects with iPhone when iOS 11 and ARKit arrived last year. This year, Apple is bringing that functionality to a first-party app in iOS 12 called Measure. Follow along for a hands-on look at how it works.
While performance and reliability on some of the third-party AR measurement apps may be hit or miss, Apple is no doubt looking to offer a trustworthy option with its first-party app.
Although I’ve only been testing out the app for a short time, I’ve found Measure to be highly accurate. In two out of my three tests measuring the same space, the results were exactly the same, while the third measurements were only a couple of inches different. Better yet, the results that I got twice were dead on with the real life dimensions.
iOS 12 is currently only available as a developer beta, however, a public beta will likely be released sometime soon.
How to use the ARKit Measure app on iPhone in iOS 12
- Open the Measure app
- Follow the on-screen instructions to move your phone around to get started
- Once you see the white circle with white dot inside, move it to wherever you’d like to start measuring and tap the + sign
- Now move your iPhone in the direction of where you’d like to end measuring, you’ll see the measurement value appear as you move your iPhone/white dot
- Tap the + sign again to complete the measurement of the line
You’ll notice when finding an initial point from which to measure, the app will suggest a place with a larger/bolder white dot and haptic feedback.
While this may not be the fastest why to measure in all cases, it comes in really handy for times when you don’t have a tape measurer, or for hard to reach areas.
Once you’ve completed your measurements, you can snap a photo of the results by tapping the shutter button in the bottom right corner. You can erase your results by tapping Clear in the top right corner of the app.
While I used the app in portrait orientation, it works in landscape as well. You’ll also notice in iOS 12 that Apple has moved the level feature from the Compass app to the Measure app.
For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:
- iOS 12: How to create Memoji on iPhone X
- watchOS 5: How to start an Activity Competition
- HomePod: How to create a Stereo Pair
- iPhone & iPad: How to turn on Messages in iCloud
- iPhone & iPad: How to cycle your Cellular radio
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