Sensors are installed in smartphones for different purposes. People know about some of these, but there are many sensors about which people do not know much. People know about the gyroscope that enables auto-rotate and the ambient light sensor that handles auto-brightness, but there is also a sensor in the smartphone that can work as a metal detector. The special thing is that almost 99 percent people do not know about this sensor.
Smartphone can work as a metal detector
Whether you are using an Android smartphone or an iPhone, you can detect metal with it. Actually, a sensor called magnetometer is installed in the phone to support the digital compass. This detects the Earth’s magnetic field. Based on this reading, your phone detects North or South direction and this helps in navigation.
How does a metal detector work?
The magnetometer measures the Earth’s magnetic field on the X, Y and Z axes. This magnetic field changes after a long period, but in the short term its strength remains stable. Therefore, when a particular type of magnetic device comes near the phone, a spike is seen in the magnetometer reading. This shows that there is some metal object near your phone. Even though a smartphone can detect metal, it is not technically a metal detector. There is a special reason for this. Actually, the metal detector estimates the dissipation by sending waves or pulses in one direction. The magnetometer of the phone observes changes in the Earth’s magnetic field. Because of this it cannot detect small objects.
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