How to Turn Your Android Phone into a DIY Magnetic Field Detector

A cheap EMF or stud detector is not required for basic magnetic field detection at home, so you don’t have to buy an expensive one. This is a built-in magnetometer for your Android phone that can handle simple detection tasks for free. For those who want to find hidden metal or check for EMF interference, here is the way to use your phone as a magnetic field detector.

How Your Phone Can Detect Magnetic Fields

The magnetometer is a built-in magnetomètre that’s part of the phone’–the motion/IMU suite, which allows for reading telephone position. A digital compass is used to detect Earth’s magnetic field in order to determine how north the magnetometer will be. The sensor is what tells your GPS apps exactly how you are facing at the moment.’ It’s also the one that says ‘what way do you currently have?

In contrast to the detection of Earth’s magnetic field, this sensor is also extremely sensitive in response with low-level magnet fields produced by objects (such as ferrous metals (like stud) or objects producing an electromagnetic field (current through wires) that are generated from things. Using an app, you can visualize this interference to detect magnetic fields around you.

It’s not as powerful as a dedicated EMF detector or metal sensor, but it’d be sensitive enough to detect magnetic field changes if you can get your phone near the object.

Turn an Android Phone into a Magnetic Field Detector

Your Android phone has a magnetometer, but the most important use for direction is to do so. For example, if you want to use it for magnetic field detection, you need a dedicated app that can visualize it. For this I suggest the free Magnetometer app for it is really simple to use and has configurable alerts.

In default, the app shows you the Earth’s magnetic field at your location (25-65T (microteslas)). A key point of is to keep your phone away from objects and see where it stabilizes; you’ll use that as a base magnetic field. To confirm sensor location on the phone, use a ferrous object (like n nail) to verify its location in that sensor is located and move it over the top of the telephone. The area where you read the most magnetic field is your sensor’s location.

High Reading in Magnetometer app

To locate objects with measurable magnetic fields, just move your phone around and track the reading. For magnetic field, the obvious sign of this is that reading reached the red zone. Nevertheless, I also found slight changes in reading (such as 15-20T increase) a good sign for s and especially for objects inside thin walls. You can also set tone and vibration alerts for searching things without looking at the screen.

Alert Options in Magnetometer app

If you want to set the Sample rate to 40ms for more accuracy, I suggest that you go into settings and put it in. That means that this will use up a little more battery, but you’ll get faster readings (which is needed when searching objects and moving the phone quickly). Similarly, you should set Alarm sensitivity to 25-30T above your base value (like 70t for me)? Often positive cases, I have found that default 90T is too high to trigger an alarm in my experience.

Settings of Magnetometer app showing sample rate

What You Can Actually Do With a Phone Magnetic Field Detector

Then you’re not going to be searching for the buried treasure like a real metal detector, and using your phone. But it’s still useful for many things, including detecting smart glasses. Today’s a day-to-day use of your Android phone as mnemonic field detector here are some practical applications for this?

  • ************* ferrous objects** Ferrous things such as nails, screws and pins, hooks or etc. It is easy to find your phone if they are lost in hard-to-reach spaces, such as paraphrasing. like removing the screws around the workbench or on a shag carpet. Quick scanning Using the alert tone/vibration for rapid scans is the key to .
  • Detect wiring in walls when current flows through wires, it generates enough electromagnetic field to be detected by the phone. It can also be used to detect wires (current flowing) behind thin walls when drilling. Reading isn’t high (it was 70T for me), but it should be a clear rise of magnetic field.
    *** ** * Find the magnetic interference source some appliances and objects with high magnetic fields interfere with Wi-Fi signals or Bluetooth. The high magnetic fields near your setup are detected by your phone to detect the cause of interference.
  • **** Detect hidden cameras or microphones* Most cameras and microphone components of these include elements that produce a detectable magnetic field. It can detect hidden cameras or microphones in suspicious places, such as when at a hotel.
  • Detect ferrous and non-ferrous material the phone magnetometer will only work on ferrus materials that have their own magnetic field. So you can quickly distinguish between ferrous and non-ferrous material, such as when buying cookware.

Many other creative applications of your phone’s ability to detect magnetic fields are also available. Don’t keep it near high power magnets because it can damage the magnetometer, so just make sure you don’T leave it close to high-power magnet. For more hidden features of your Android phone, learn how to use it as a webcam for unlocking its hidden capabilities.

Thanks for reading How to Turn Your Android Phone into a DIY Magnetic Field Detector

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