How to Measure Someone’s Height With the iPhone 12 Pro’s LiDAR Sensor

The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max’s LiDAR senor enables all sorts of cool camera features, like finding the dimensions of a room or turning real-world objects into 3D models. It’s also incredibly useful for measuring someone’s height from a distance.

The new feature is part of the iOS Measure app. The app is available on devices running iOS 12 or higher, but the human height detection is exclusive to the iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and iPad Pro (2020 model), as only these three devices are equipped with the necessary LiDAR sensors to perform the measurements.

How to measure someone using your iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, or iPad Pro (2020)

1. Open the Measure app. (You will be asked to install Apple’s ARKit if this your first time doing so Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation).
2. Line the person up in the camera’s viewfinder, and keep still while the LiDAR sensor does its thing. Try to hold your device as straight as possible for the best results.
3. After a few moments, the person’s (estimated) height will appear on screen over their head.
4. Tap the shutter button to snap a photo with the measurement listed.

Measuring someone’s height is a simple process, but don’t throw out your measuring tape yet: The iOS measurement app isn’t always accurate, and some early reports indicate the height measuring is just as spotty.

This isn’t surprising—many environmental variables can affect the app’s accuracy, even with the extra help from LiDAR. Still, the general consensus is that the app’s height measuring is “close enough,” and it will probably get better as Apple updates the Measure app over time.