Find the metal hiding in the wall.
Metal turns your phone's magnetometer into a metal detector. Zero it, sweep slowly, and a live meter, graph, rising tone and vibration show where studs, nails, pipes, rebar and lost tools are.
Simple, honest detection
Everything runs on the sensor already in your phone.
Live deviation meter
The change in the magnetic field from your zero point, as a big number in microtesla (µT), a bar and a detection threshold line.
Zero button
Averages the field for about 1.5 seconds with the phone held still. It retries if the phone moves, and an optional auto re-zero follows slow drift.
Sensitivity
Low, medium or high, with a live graph of the last 10 seconds.
Tone and vibration
Pitch and beep rate rise as you get closer to metal. Each can be switched off.
Raw sensor
Uses the uncalibrated magnetometer when your phone has one, so Android's own calibration cannot absorb the metal. It falls back to the calibrated sensor.
Private
No accounts, no ads, no analytics. The only network call is the update check in Settings.
How to use it
Takes a minute to learn.
- Move away from metal. Hold the phone still in an area you believe is clear, away from tables, appliances and your keys.
- Tap Zero. Metal averages the field for about 1.5 seconds. That becomes the baseline.
- Sweep slowly along the wall, floor or ground, keeping the phone at the same angle and distance from the surface.
- Watch, listen, feel. The meter climbs, the tone rises and the phone vibrates when you pass over iron or steel. The peak is where it is.
What it can and cannot find
A magnetometer senses magnetic materials, not every metal.
Finds
- Iron and steel: studs, nails, screws, pipes, rebar, tools
- Nickel
- Magnets
Does not find
- Aluminium
- Copper
- Gold and silver
Permissions and privacy
Readings stay on your phone. The only network call is the update check in Settings.
| Magnetometer | The sensor that measures the magnetic field. Android needs no permission to read it. |
|---|---|
| Vibrate | For the vibration feedback near metal. You can switch it off. |
| Internet | Only for the update check in Settings. |
Requirements
Android 8.0 (API 26) or newer, and a phone with a magnetometer. Without one, Metal shows a "No magnetometer" message.
Install
Metal is not on Google Play. Tap Download APK on your phone and open the file. If Android asks, allow your browser to install unknown apps. Or install Ash Store once and get updates from it.