Use Your iPhone as a Tape Measure with the Measure App

· 1:04 · Measure · iPhone

Use Your iPhone as a Tape Measure with the Measure App – video thumbnail

Never caught out without a tape measure again. Your iPhone has a built-in tool that can measure almost anything in front of you, whether it's a suitcase at the airport, a wall before a DIY project, or a piece of furniture you're thinking of buying. In this guide I'll show you how to use the Measure app: find it via Spotlight search, allow camera access, then tap to add points and read off the measurement, converting units with a single tap. It's genuinely handy in everyday situations, especially checking your luggage won't get hit with oversize fees. It won't replace a tape measure for millimetre-perfect jobs, but for quick checks it's spot on. If this helped, hit subscribe for more simple iPhone tips.

Transcript

So, a lot of people don’t realise this, but the iPhone has a built-in tool to help you measure anything you’ve got in front of you.

If you’re at the airport and your suitcase might be too big, you can quickly measure it. If you’re doing a DIY project at home, you can measure the size of your kitchen before you start buying wallpaper. And it’s all built into your iPhone.

We’re going to use an app called Measure. If it’s not on your Home Screen already, simply swipe down to open Spotlight search and type in Measure.

Then, when you open the app, if you’ve not used it before, you’ll need to allow camera access. From there, you can simply measure anything in front of you by tapping on the screen to add a dot, then slowly moving the phone to add the next dot.

You’ll see the measurement appear in the middle as it’s taken. If you tap on it, you can convert it into different units as well.

This is so useful when you want to check that your case isn’t going to get charged for extra luggage fees, when you’re doing a project around the house, or simply when you haven’t got a tape measure to hand.

It’s not millimetre perfect, but it’s pretty close.

And if you enjoy iPhone tips like this, check out my channel. I think you’re going to like this video next.

Technical details: This QuickTip was recorded on an iPhone 17 Pro Max running iOS 26.5 in May 2026.

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