The latest Apple operating system comes with a handy new app: a virtual tape measure.
The app, aptly called Measure, loads onto your cell phone as part of the iOS 12 update.
It's simple to use, and at least with my first attempts, is fairly accurate, although I surely wouldn't use it to cut a 2-by-4.
When you first turn on the program, it asks you to move your phone around the object you want to measure, presumably to calibrate.
Once that's done, you point the phone at one end of the object and place a dot there. Drag the camera across to get its length or width in inches.
In my first test, my 21-inch computer screen came out at exactly 21 inches. Other reviews of the app say the closer you are to an object (and the smaller it is) brings the best results.
Again, it is not meant to be precise, but it can give you a basic idea of the dimensions of something you've aimed it at.
The app also features a level, another convenient tool to have in your phone.
There are similar programs in the Apple App Store, for sure, but I wouldn't have necessarily thought to look for a tape measure there.
But now that I have it, I will surely use it at least from time to time, just as I do with my phone's flashlight and compass.
Finally, I can stop digging around my junk drawer for a bulky tape measure when I need to know the height or width of something.
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