This free Android app turned my phone into a 35-tool measuring tool – and I tested everything
This free Android app turned my phone into a 35-tool measuring tool – and I tested everything
https://www.zdnet.com/article/phyphox-science-lab-free-android-app-hands-on/
Publish Date: 2026-06-12 14:07:00
Source Domain: www.zdnet.com
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
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ZDNET key takeaways
- This free app can level up your experiments.
- Anything your phone sensors can pick up, this app can use.
- Find out just how much information your phone can track.
I love getting my geek on, and I do so every day. But sometimes, I need access to scientific tools that are either way out of my price range or inaccessible.
The good news is that my Pixel 9 Pro smartphone includes several tools for such purposes. Those tools are the various sensors that the OS and the installed apps depend on. The sensors are used for a range of tasks, including sensing ambient light, recording steps taken, directions on maps, screen rotation, and much more.
Also: This hidden Pixel camera setting makes my photos absolutely pop – here’s how
Now, imagine if you could unlock the device’s scientific capability by accessing those sensors. By installing a single app, you would have access to the phone’s sensors for things like acceleration, acoustics, color and luminance, speed, mechanics, timers, inclination, and magnetism.
Imagine the possibilities
Well, developers at Aachen University have done just that and created the open-source Android app, Phyphox (short for “physical phone experiments”). This free app can read information from your phone’s accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone, magnetometer, light sensor, and GPS.
If your phone has a barometer, the app can access that capability as well. The app can read data in real time, analyze it, and even export the data to a file.
Also: I found a free Android app that makes deleting photos as easy as swiping left
For example, I wanted to know the incline of the stairs leading to my office loft. Thanks to Phyphox, I know that the incline is -32 degrees. I also wanted to test the audio spectrum in my office to find the peak frequency and found it to be 93.75 Hz.
The current barometric pressure is 999.524 hPa. I could also measure distance using Sonar. And…
