Use the Measure app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
Learn how to gauge the size of real-world objects with the Measure app and your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch camera. And find out how to measure objects and people more easily using the LiDAR Scanner on supported Pro devices.
The Measure app uses augmented reality (AR) technology to turn your device into a tape measure. You can gauge the size of objects, automatically detect the dimensions of rectangular objects, and save a photo of the measurement. And with supported Pro devices, you can measure objects more easily with visible guides, measure a person's height and see a history of your measurements.
Measurements are approximate.
Before you start
First, make sure your device's software is up to date. The Measure app works on these devices:
Also make sure that you're in a place with good lighting.
How to take a single measurement
Open the Measure app, then follow any onscreen instructions that ask you to move your device around. This gives your device a frame of reference for the object you're measuring and the surface it's on. Keep moving your device until a circle with a dot in the centre appears.
Move your device so that the dot is over the starting point of your measurement, then tap the Add button
.Move your device slowly until the dot is over the ending point of your measurement, then tap the Add button
again.
After you’ve taken a measurement, you can adjust its starting and ending points. Touch and hold one of the points, then drag it where you want it to go. The measurement changes as you move the point.
Save your measurement
While the measurement is displayed, you can tap the number to see it in inches and centimetres. Tap Copy, and the value is sent to your clipboard so you can paste it into another app. Tap Clear to start again.
You can also take a photo that shows the object and its measurement. Just tap the Shutter button
, and the photo will appear in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen. Tap it to make edits using Markup, or swipe left to save it to your Photos app.
How to take multiple measurements
After you take the first measurement, move your device to place the dot over another location on or near the object.
Tap the Add button
to start the second measurement, then move your device to place the dot somewhere along the existing measurement.*Tap the Add button
again and the second measurement appears.Repeat these steps to take as many measurements as you like.
Tap the Undo button
to remove the most recent measurement, or tap Clear to start again.
* Additional measurements must start or end somewhere along an existing measurement. Otherwise, all previous measurements are replaced by the newest one.
Measure a rectangle
If your device detects that the object you're measuring is a square or rectangle, it automatically places a measurement box around the object. Tap the Add button and measurements appear for the object's width and length. Move your device slightly, and the object's calculated area appears.
While the measurement is displayed, you can tap the calculated area number to see the length of the diagonal as well as the area in square inches or square metres.
Use the Measure app with a Pro device
These devices use the LiDAR Scanner to help you measure objects more quickly and accurately with the Measure app:
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) and later
iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation) and later
iPhone 12 Pro and later
iPhone 12 Pro Max and later
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Not sure if your device has a LiDAR Scanner? Find out which iPad model you have or which iPhone model you have.
Measure a person's height
When the Measure app detects a person in the viewfinder, it automatically measures their height from the ground to the top of their head, hat or hair. You can tap the Shutter button to take a photo of the person with their height measurement. Then you can use Markup on the photo, save it and share it.
Here are some tips for getting a good height measurement:
Make sure you're in a place with good lighting.
Avoid dark backgrounds and reflective surfaces.
Check that the person you're measuring has nothing covering their face or head, such as a face mask, sunglasses or a hat.
Try to step back from the person you're measuring. You may be standing too close.
Use vertical and edge guides
On iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation), iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, guide lines help you measure the height and straight edges of furniture, work surfaces and other objects easily and precisely. Guide lines appear automatically along edges and when making a vertical measurement.
Snap your starting and end points to the yellow guide line, then tap a measurement to see the expanded information that iPad Pro provides. You can view the measurement's elevation, distance away, angle and more.
See more granular measurements with Ruler View
The Measure app on iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation), iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max adds a ruler overlay to line measurements, showing you the object's dimension in granular increments. Move your iPad Pro close to a line measurement to see the Ruler View appear, then tap the shutter button to take a photo so you can use the increments for planning projects.
See your measurement history
Tap the List button
to view all of the measurements you’ve taken during the current session, including any screenshots. This helps you keep track of dimensions as you measure a space or series of objects. You can copy the dimensions into Notes, Mail or any app you want to save your list in, or clear them to start again.
Find out more
You can also use your iPhone or iPod touch as a spirit level.
