Windows 10 monitors each user - all his requests and location, smartphones are not even discussed - they show the owner’s route and the altitude (floor) on which he is located, and he knows geodata and your requests - and can also record your voice without your knowledge , take your photos, and send your fingerprints and retina scans to third parties

Despite their modest size, modern smartphones are very complex devices with powerful multi-core processors, cameras with autofocus and optical stabilization, screens high resolution with high ppi values. In addition, any smartphone is equipped with various sensors that make using the device more convenient, or, especially in top gadgets, expand their capabilities. In our material today we will talk specifically about sensors, which of them can be found in modern gadgets, as well as how and why they are used.

The first sensor that began to be widely used in smartphones is accelerometer, which was also formerly often called G-sensor. As its name suggests, this sensor measures the acceleration of the device along three axes. Obviously, acceleration occurs only when the device moves or rotates in space, so the accelerometer cannot determine the position of a stationary smartphone. This means that its accuracy, for example, in games, will be relatively low.

To level out this drawback of the accelerometer, together with it in the overwhelming majority modern devices, including the most budget ones, applies gyroscope. Unlike an accelerometer, a gyroscope can determine the position in space (angle of inclination along three axes) of even a stationary device. The error of the calibrated gyroscope in modern smartphones, as a rule, does not exceed 1-2 degrees. Gyroscope and accelerometer are widely used in many mobile games for control, as well as in other applications - with a wide variety of tasks.

The next sensor, which can also be found in almost every smartphone, is magnetometer. This sensor reacts to the Earth's magnetic field and thus allows you to determine the cardinal directions. This, in turn, along with data on cell towers and points Wi-Fi access within visibility range, used when navigating in the absence of a GPS signal. A magnetometer is a sensitive sensor, and therefore, using a smartphone with it, you can, for example, look for wiring in a wall if it is not walled up deeply - just download an application that will read the sensor readings.

Almost everyone modern smartphone also cannot do without proximity sensor. The sensor is an infrared emitter with a receiver hidden under the front glass of the device. It can detect the presence of an object in front of it at a distance of about five centimeters. Thanks to this sensor, it is enough to bring the smartphone to your ear during a call - and the display will turn off automatically (as well as turn on if you remove the device); there is no need to use the power button for this. It is worth mentioning that some top Samsung smartphones use an advanced proximity sensor that performs the functions gesture sensor, responding to various movements of the hand above it.

Many smartphones, except budget models, equip light sensors. The main purpose of this sensor is to determine the level of external illumination and adjust the brightness of the display backlight in accordance with it.

This completes the list of common sensors. As you can see, most smartphones have at least five useful sensors, but in more advanced gadgets you can find many other sensors. One of them - barometer. Although he first appeared in Samsung smartphone Galaxy Note a few years ago, it can still be found only in some devices in the mid-range and top segments. Like a magnetometer, a barometer helps the device quickly navigate the area and catch a signal from GPS satellites. Of course, by downloading one of many free applications, you can use a barometer for its intended purpose - to find out atmospheric pressure in pascals or millimeters of mercury. It is also possible to use a barometer as altimeter- a device that measures altitude above sea level. True, the accuracy of its readings in this case is noticeably affected by fluctuations in atmospheric pressure, but this is regulated by entering current weather data and a reference altitude point for a specific area.

On a smartphone Samsung Galaxy S4 first appeared thermometer. The use of this sensor is more than obvious: using the pre-installed S Health application (however, you can download one of third party programs from Google Play) the user can recognize the temperature environment. The same can be said about the humidity sensor - hygrometer, which also debuted on the Samsung Galaxy S4 and can be used in conjunction with the S Health app.

For cover type work Smart Cover, when opened, the device screen automatically turns on, a Hall sensor is used. Like a magnetometer, Hall Sensor reacts to a magnetic field, but, unlike the first, has a simpler principle of operation: it does not determine the strength of the magnetic field along several axes, but simply responds to its intensification caused by the approach of a permanent magnet hidden in the cover.

Modern gadgets have long learned to perform the functions of a pedometer, but usually an accelerometer is used for this. One of the few devices that has pedometer The LG Nexus 5 smartphone became a separate sensor. While such a sensor is a novelty, it will probably soon be used in other devices.

Another rare sensor - heart rate monitor. On this moment a separate sensor for measuring heart rate can only be found in the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Galaxy S5 Active smartphones (not counting smart watch the same company under Android control and Tizen).

A slightly more common sensor is Fingerprint's scanner, allowing you to quickly unlock your device without having to enter a password. Today this sensor is used in Apple iPhone 5S, Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One Max and several other less common smartphone models. However, the first device, the iPhone 5S, is rightfully considered the standard for its implementation.

This is probably where the long list of sensors can be completed, but in the end we still left a sensor that is quite outlandish for a smartphone - dosimeter. It is known for certain that the Pantone 5 107SH released in Japan is equipped with it - probably, after the notorious nuclear power plant accident in the Land of the Rising Sun, they began to more carefully monitor the radiation situation around.

As a small conclusion, we repeat: almost any modern gadget equipped with at least five different sensors. The absolute record holder in terms of their number can be called the Samsung Galaxy S5, which, according to our calculations, has as many as 12 sensors. How many sensors have you counted in your smartphone?

The accelerometer measures acceleration and allows the smartphone to determine characteristics of movement and position in space. It is this sensor that works when the vertical orientation changes to horizontal when the device is rotated. He is also responsible for counting steps and measuring movement speed in various map applications. The accelerometer provides information about which direction the smartphone is facing, which becomes an important function in various applications with .

This sensor itself consists of small sensors: microscopic crystalline structures that, under the influence of acceleration forces, transform into a stressed state. The voltage is transmitted to the accelerometer, which interprets it into data about speed and direction of movement.

Gyroscope

This sensor helps the accelerometer navigate in space. For example, it allows you to do it on a smartphone. In racing games, where control occurs by moving the device, it is the gyroscope that works. It is sensitive to rotations of the device relative to its axis.

Smartphones use microelectromechanical systems, and the first such devices, which maintain the axis when turning, appeared at the beginning of the 19th century.

Magnetometer

The last of the three sensors for orientation in space is a magnetometer. It measures magnetic fields and can therefore determine where north is. The compass function in various map applications and some compass programs work using a magnetometer.

Metal detectors have similar sensors, so you can find special applications that turn your smartphone into such a device.

The magnetometer works in tandem with the accelerometer and GPS for geo-location and navigation.

GPS

Where would we be without GPS (Global Positioning System) technology? The smartphone connects to several satellites and calculates its position based on the intersection angles. It happens that satellites are unavailable: for example, in cloudy conditions or indoors.

GPS does not use data mobile network, so geolocation works even outside the coverage area cellular communication: even if the map itself cannot be loaded, the geolocation point will still be there.

At the same time, the GPS function consumes a lot of battery power, so it is better to turn it off unless necessary.

Another method of geolocation, although not very accurate, is determining the distance from cell towers. The smartphone adds to GPS data other information, such as strength mobile signal, to clarify the location.

Barometer

Many smartphones, including the iPhone, have this sensor, which measures atmospheric pressure. It is needed to record weather changes and determine altitude above sea level.

Proximity switch

This sensor is usually located near the speaker on the top of the smartphone and consists of an infrared diode and a light sensor. It uses a beam invisible to humans to determine whether the device is near the ear. This is how the smartphone “understands” that while talking on the phone you need to turn off the display.

Light sensor

As you can guess from the name, this sensor measures the level of ambient light, which allows you to automatically adjust the comfortable brightness of the display.

With each new generation of smartphones, sensors become more efficient, smaller and less energy-consuming. Therefore, you should not think that, for example, the GPS function in a device that is several years old will work as well as in a new one. And even if the information about new smartphones does not indicate the characteristics of all these sensors, rest assured that they are the ones that allow you to take advantage of many of the impressive functions of modern gadgets.

Despite its compact size, a modern smartphone contains powerful elements, including a camera with lenses and autofocus, a processor, a capacitive battery and various sensors that allow you to use the gadget as more than just a dialer. Let's take a closer look at what these sensors are for and how they work.

Light sensor in a smartphone

This is one of the most essential sensors. It is a semiconductor sensor located next to conversational speaker. Its main function is to save battery energy. It detects the flow of photons and adjusts the brightness of the screen backlight. Most often it works in tandem with a proximity sensor.

Proximity sensor

This is a sensor that is located next to the light sensor and turns off the screen. It sends a signal to the object, if it is reflected, the sensor reacts by turning off the screen. For example, this happens when you put your smartphone to your ear.

Accelerometer (G-sensor)

This sensor is an electric a mechanical device that records all movements of a smartphone. Its task is to switch the screen when the device is tilted, record gestures, participate in game controls, and count steps. It comes in 2- and 3-axis versions. In the latter case, at rest, one of the axes will show 9-10 m/s2. For example, the accelerometer does not respond to a stationary phone, so the accuracy in games is reduced. Almost always works in conjunction with a gyroscope.

Gyroscope on your phone

This electromechanical circuit determines the position of the smartphone in space and takes into account its immobility. It is very accurate, the error is no more than 1-2°. Used together with an accelerometer in gaming applications, when controlling gestures.

Magnetometer on your phone

Determines the earth's magnetic field, measures position in 3-dimensional space. The main function of this sensor is to most accurately determine the location in the absence of a GPS signal. In other words, it is a digital compass that tells you in which direction relative to north the smartphone is moving. With his help and special application You can look for wiring in the walls.

These were the most advanced sensors, located even in budget smartphones. More expensive gadgets may have additional sensors.

Barometer (pressure sensor)

Together with a magnetometer, it helps the smartphone quickly determine its location and catch a GPS signal. Its intended purpose is to show atmospheric pressure and altitude above sea level. The higher you go, the less pressure. Readings are affected by atmospheric pressure and may not be accurate.

Temperature sensors

A good smartphone is crammed with digital thermometers. Structurally, these are resistors with two terminals; depending on the temperature, the resistance between the terminals changes. This way we find out the temperature of the battery, processor and various controllers. It is he who turns off charging so that the battery electrolyte does not boil. Environmental sensors are very rare. They have not proven themselves, because the internal temperature in the smartphone and the temperature from the hands distort the data.

Hygrometer

Measures air humidity, not particularly common, last used in the Galaxy S4. Based on its readings, you can turn on the device to humidify or dehumidify the air in the room.

Heart rate monitor

This is a sensor for measuring heart rate (pulse). With its help, loads are adjusted during training. With this sensor, the smartphone should fit tightly to the blood vessels. Pre-installed on Galaxy S5, S7 (S7 Edge). Most often used in trackers and smart watches.

Fingerprint's scanner

This sensor is gaining more and more popularity. It instantly unlocks the device without entering a password and reliably protects the data on the device. Today, even little-known smartphone manufacturers are trying to equip their creations with it. The first smartphone to receive it was the iPhone 5S.

Retinal scanner

In 2016, the infamous Samsung Galaxy Note 7 featured this sensor. It is as fast as a fingerprint scanner. The IR beam scans the iris of the eye, captures it and encodes it into an algorithm, with which it is subsequently compared. It is noteworthy that it works even in the dark, identifying through transparent glasses and lenses.

A modern premium smartphone has at least 12 sensors, among the leaders are iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, and HTC. How many sensors are there on your smartphone?

Atmospheric pressure is a factor that directly affects our health. Knowing and monitoring pressure at any moment is most likely not useful to every user. But some people need blood pressure monitoring. For such users, an application has been developed with the same name as a measuring device - Barometer for Android. This application Perfect for conducting atmospheric research by young scientists. The average person will find a similar utility on their smartphone useful. The program can be downloaded for free on our website.

Main characteristics of the program

Despite the simplicity of the original device, the barometer on the phone has a significant range of features:

• Can be used as a widget. The information is displayed on the desktop of your smartphone. The pressure value is always before your eyes.
• Displays atmospheric pressure in major world units (mBar, mmHg, inHg).
• Bright design. The user can choose the colors himself working panel and display values, as well as change transparency.
• Keeps statistics at different time intervals.
• Statistical data accumulated over certain period, are displayed as graphs in separate window. Charts are indicated on an hour scale and on a day scale.
• Function for adjusting the sensor of a physical quantity.
• The user can configure automatic polling of physical quantity indicators to save battery power.
• The barometer is compatible with almost all known types of operating systems.
• The program is entirely in Russian.
• Convenient and simple interface.

Launch and Application

After the first launch, a dial gauge scale (similar to the original device) will appear on the smartphone screen. This scale can be changed. To work, you don’t need to perform any actions, you just need to launch the application and it will automatically calculate the atmospheric pressure. Interesting fact, which means that every 12 meters of height reduces the value by 1 millimeter of mercury. Launch the application on the top floor of a high-rise building and you will see how noticeably the value has changed. Physics surrounds us in everyday life.

Advantages of a pocket barometer

The measuring device has a number of advantages:

• the application does not take up much space in the smartphone’s memory and does not require high battery power consumption;
• simple interface and setup facilitate quick orientation;
• The utility is freely available to all users. You can download the barometer from official application stores (playmarket, Apstore) or on other third-party Internet resources. But check the download source before you start downloading. Behind installation file there may be a malicious program lurking;
• completely free service.

As a result, users can satisfy their interest and thirst for knowledge by installing a barometer on their smartphone. Young discoverers will try to conduct their first scientific research.

Have you used the application? Let me know if you liked it in the comments below.

Most Android phones have built-in sensors that measure motion, orientation, and various environmental conditions. These sensors will help monitor the three-dimensional movement of the device or positioning, or changes in the environment. For example, a weather app uses your phone's temperature sensor and humidity sensor to calculate the saturation point. Likewise, your app will use the travel geomagnetic field sensor and accelerometer to find a specific destination. Various sensors Android devices provide precise and accurate data to other applications or directly to you.

If you think that your sensors Android phone are not working as they should, you can always check if it really works fine or not. So how do you determine exactly what's wrong with your phone's sensors?

Whatever the problem, there are apps that can help you figure out the problem and solve it. Even if you don't have a specific problem, it may still be good to go through a small registration on your phone to ensure the health of the phone. Please note that your device may or may not support all of the sensors mentioned above. This article will list some of the most popular apps available for free to test the sensors in your mobile phone. Most of these applications include brief instructions to perform a test for each sensor test.

The Android platform supports the following three broad categories of sensors:

Motion sensors

The force motion sensor measures acceleration and rotational forces. Such sensors include accelerometers, gravity sensors, gyroscopes and rotational vector sensors.

Environmental sensors

The environmental sensor measures various environmental parameters. Examples of environmental sensors are barometers, photometric and thermometers.

Position sensors

The position sensor measures the physical position of the device. Orientation sensors and magnetometers are examples of position sensors.

Now, before we continue, let's take a quick look at some of the main sensors, what they do, and what to do to test these sensors. Later we'll tell you about apps that can automatically run sensor tests.

gyroscope sensor

The gyroscope is used to measure 6 directions simultaneously. This allows the device screen to rotate from portrait to landscape. You can tilt your phone slowly to check if the gyroscope sensor is working.

Accelerometer Sensor

The accelerometer detects the orientation of the phone and measures the acceleration due to gravity, including in three axes. You can rotate the phone slowly to check if the accelerometer sensor is working.

Light sensor

The light sensor automatically adjusts the screen brightness according to the light intensity of your surroundings. You can test the sensor in a dark place and then move the phone to an area with bright light. If the screen light changes, it means the sensor is working.

orientation sensor

The orientation sensor detects the directional state of your Android device. It checks for automatic screen rotation. Rotate your phone to check if the sensor is working properly.

Proximity sensor

The proximity sensor measures the distance of an object from the front of the phone. For example, your phone's screen turns off when you hold it closer to your ears during an active call.

temperature sensor

The temperature sensor checks the battery temperature of your Android device. If you surf the Internet using 3G or play HD games you will experience a rise in battery temperature to the point where it becomes quite hot to the touch.

sound sensor

The sound sensor detects the intensity of sound around you and gives you detailed information about changes in intensity.

Magnetic field sensor

The magnetic sensor measures the magnetic fields along the three axes of the phone. It is mainly used to determine direction. Examples include Google app and the Compass app. Just move with your phone to check the magnetic sensor.

Pressure meter

The pressure sensor measures atmospheric pressure. It is used for weather forecasting and for measuring ambient temperature.

CPU-Z

The CPU-Z application collects all the necessary information about the phone and presents it in one window. For each option tab, the corresponding details are displayed at the top of the window.

SOC tab- displays the system-on-chip (SoC) architecture of your part Android smartphone, as shown in the figure below.

Device tab- Displays device details like model, manufacturer, hardware, screen size, total and used random access memory, total and used memory, etc.

System tab- displays detailed information about your smartphone, such as model, manufacturer, board type, display resolution, on Android versions, installed, etc.

Battery tab- Displays battery charging status, level, power source, status, technology, temperature and voltage, etc.

Thermal tab- displays a list of temperature readings. Since the load on CPU causes your phone to heat up, it is good to check that the temperature does not cross 60°C as this indicates a faulty device. This sensor may not be available on all device models. If it is missing, the tab will not display any values.

Sensors tab- displays the values ​​of sensors supported on the device. You can play with the phone to check if individual sensors are working; for example, tilting the phone to check the gyroscope or moving your palms across the screen to check the proximity sensor, etc. If the CPU-Z readings change in response to your actions, then the sensors are fine and working. If you still feel that the sensors are not functioning properly, then you need to check and compare the values ​​with another similar model or device.

Sensor Kinetics

Sensor Kinetics allows you to view, track and understand the behavior of all the standard sensors installed on your phone. You can change the delay setting or activate or deactivate certain sensors. This application demonstrates the use of each of the sensors available on the phone. This way you can easily check the sensors in your phone. Each sensor is attached to a viewer circuit with raw and processed data. It also includes documentation with easy to understand examples on how to test each of the sensors on your phone.

Sensor test

Testing the Sensor app is designed to detect and test the functionality of each of the sensors that are available on your phone. It displays default sensors and displays real time data and information about each sensor. It also displays the supplier, maximum range, resolution and absorption current for each sensor.

Sensor Box for Android

Sensor Box for Android application is a good looking app with impressive graphical presentation. It detects all the sensors that are available on your Android device. The application displays all sensors and a corresponding message appears if the selected sensor is not supported by your phone. This application only detects sensor changes, if any, and displays the values. It may not show the correct temperature, proximity, light and pressure values ​​unless some changes occur.

Phone tester

Phone tester app not only checks the sensors on the phone, but also checks the health of hardware devices, Wi-Fi, telephony, GPS, touch, battery and system information. It also checks ambient temperature, humidity, step detector, heart rate monitor and fingerprint sensor - provided that is supported by your device. A Pro app version is also available which displays Additional information, such as phone memory, processor speed and SD card memory.

AndroSensor

AndroSensor supports all sensors that an Android device may have, but displays real-time sensor details only those supported by your device. Detailed information is displayed in graphical and text format. This app also allows you to save sensor data to a CSV file.

Programs and options Other

Apart from the apps mentioned above, there are many other apps available for free from the Google Play Store. All these apps will help you in testing your phone's sensors. Some of the apps that are worth mentioning are Multitool Sensors, Sensor Checker and Advanced Sensor Checker. You can install and try several applications and see if it provides you with the information that you were looking for.

If you are using samsung phone, dial secret code * # 0 * # to perform a phone test without the need to install any additional applications. Select the sensor tab from the screen that appears and follow the instructions to check the supported sensors on your phone.

If you have any questions about this topic, please feel free to ask in the comments section. We at TechWelkin and our reader community will try to help you. Thank you for using TechWelkin!