They're called smartphones, but sometimes we don't quite know why. Over time, smartphones have included more and more sensors. Your phone is full of components that measure motion, light, sound, or magnetic fields. But sometimes you wonder, how many sensors does my smartphone have? How accurate are they? Now you can access data from all these sensors with the Sensor Sense app.
For example, you probably knew that your smartphone has a accelerometer to know the inclination of the same, but it is not so likely that you know the rest of the sensors that your smartphone has. Did you know that the vast majority of smartphones have a magnetic field sensorThis isn't the first time we've talked about this, but it can be really useful to have one of these sensors to detect the metal pins in plasterboard walls when we try to attach a television or a painting to the wall. There are apps that allow us to view the data from our smartphone's magnetic field meter, but in this case, Sensor Sense also allows us to know the field strengths in three dimensions.
Something similar happens with the force of gravity, and the sensor on our smartphone that is constantly measuring this. If we hold the smartphone horizontally, almost all the force of gravity we will see will be that of the Z axis, while if we tilt the smartphone to the vertical position, we will see that the The detected force of gravity progressively shifts to the Y axis. Even in this application we have a decibel meter, which makes use of the microphones to measure noise level that is around us.
Access all sensors with advanced features
Sensor Sense displays information about all the sensors your phone supports and does so with an interface based on Material Design, clear and easy to use. Among its most notable features:
- Wide compatibility: light, compass (magnetometer), acceleration, gravity, gyroscope, rotation vector, proximity, pressure, humidity, temperature, location (GPS), sound, battery, among others.
- Real-time graphics: visualizes how the values ​​change second by second and detects patterns or peaks immediately.
- Recording and exporting: records sessions and exports the data as .csv file to share or analyze on your PC.
- Calibration: options for calibrate sensors when necessary and improve the reliability of the readings.
- Technical sheet of each sensor: Query maximum range, resolution, power supply, manufacturer and model.
- Dark theme (premium option) and light mode for comfortable use in any environment.
Types of sensors and what data you'll see
The app organizes information by categories so you can quickly find what you need and take advantage of every sensor:
- Environment: temperature, light, pressure and relative humidity, as well as (decibel levels).
- Movement: acceleration (including linear acceleration), gravity, gyroscope and rotation vector to know orientation.
- Position: magnetic field (compass) and proximity.
- Location: longitude, latitude, altitude, speed and precision.
- Battery: level, voltage, temperature, status and health battery.
Axes interpretation and reading accuracy
To understand the graphs, remember that Android uses a 3-axis coordinate system based on the natural orientation of the device: X on the right, Y up and Z off the screen. When you turn the phone, the values ​​vary by axis without changing the reference system. Therefore, when moving from horizontal to vertical, you will notice that the dominant component of gravity changes from Z a Y.
If you notice inconsistent readings, Sensor Sense has built-in troubleshooting tools. calibration for magnetometer, accelerometer or gyroscope, reducing biases caused by shocks, cases with magnets or internal imbalances. In a magnetometer, for example, it may be enough to make figure-8 movements until the compass stabilizes.
Permissions you request and how they are used
- Location: used to display coordinates and precision on the location panels.
- Storage (media files): allows save measurements in .csv and share them.
- Microphone: required to display sound information and noise levels.
Depending on the Android version and device settings, the system may limit the sampling rate in the background and require additional permissions for very high sampling rates. If an app is not in the foreground, some sources may reduce the cadence of events to protect battery and privacy.
Usage tips, calibration and best practices
- Activate only what is necessary: If you are not going to record, avoid keeping sensors activated for a long time to save battery.
- Calibrate when you detect drift: Compass pointing poorly, screen not rotating, or erratic readings often improve after calibration.
- Avoid interference: Keep your phone away from magnets or metal surfaces when measuring magnetic field or turns.
- Compare sessions: Export .csv and check with your favorite tool to detect patterns and anomalies.
For developers: Sensor framework in Android
If you are a developer, you might be interested to know that Android exposes a sensor framework with classes like SensorManager, Sensor, SensorEvent y SensorEventListener. You can discover available sensors, consult capabilities (range, resolution, consumption) and register listeners with different delivery rates. As a best practice, register in onResume and cancels in onPause to avoid extra battery consumption, and choose the lowest rate that meets your use case.
However, these are just a few of the sensors our smartphone has. With the Sensor Sense app, we can see the data from all of them, although it will also depend on whether our smartphone has that sensor or not. The application also has an interface based on Material Design, and it's free, although there's also the option to pay to remove the ads.
Anyone who needs a clear tool to explore, record and understand hardware readings will find Sensor Sense a complete solution: from curious users who measure noise and light to advanced users who analyze time series of acceleration, rotation, or magnetic signals without leaving their mobile phone.
Google Play - Sense sensor.
