How to measure decibels on Android

To measure decibels on an Android phone, install a sound meter app, allow it to use the microphone, hold the phone at arm's length with the microphone uncovered and pointed towards the sound, and measure for at least 30 seconds. Read the average level (LAeq) in dBA rather than the peak. Most Android phones do not come with a decibel meter, so you need an app.

Step by step

1. Install a sound meter app from Google Play and open it. It asks for microphone access; a sound meter needs nothing else, so be wary of one that asks for your location or contacts.
2. Find the microphone. On most Android phones the main microphone is a small hole on the bottom edge, next to the charging port. Keep your fingers and a thick case away from it.
3. Hold the phone still at arm's length, away from your body and at about head height, with the bottom edge facing the sound. Your body and nearby walls reflect and block sound.
4. Measure for at least 30 seconds, or several minutes for noise that comes and goes, such as traffic or a neighbour's music.
5. Read the average (LAeq). This is the figure health limits and most complaint procedures use. The maximum shows only the loudest moment.
6. Measure the quiet too. A reading without the noise gives you a background level to compare against.

Tips for a more reliable reading

• Keep the phone out of the wind. Wind on the microphone adds noise that is not there. Outdoors, shelter the phone with your body from the side the wind comes from, without covering the microphone.
• Don't touch or move the phone while it measures. Handling noise shows up as spikes.
• Watch for overload. Phone microphones and their processing are designed for speech; very loud sound can exceed what the microphone can read. A good app tells you when this happens instead of showing a confident wrong number.
• Compare like with like. Measure from the same spot each time if you want to track whether something is getting louder.

How accurate is an Android phone?

A phone gives a useful estimate, not a certified measurement. The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) tested sound meter apps and built its own, but only for iPhone: it explains that the Android market is split across so many manufacturers that it is not currently possible to verify Android apps in its lab. Microphones and audio processing differ from one Android model to the next, so two phones in the same room can disagree.

You can close much of that gap with calibration. If you have a sound level meter you trust, or can borrow one, measure the same steady sound with both and set the app's offset so they agree. For legal, workplace or medical decisions, use a certified sound level meter.

Measuring with SoundSense

SoundSense is a decibel meter for Android (and soon iPhone), made by us. It shows the estimated level in dBA with a 60-second live graph, and the live meter is free with no time limit.

• Save a check with a title, a place you type (the app never uses GPS) and notes. Each saved check shows the average (LAeq), minimum, maximum and the time above a threshold you choose.
• Share it as a CSV file or an image for free, or as a PDF report with Premium.
• Calibrate it with the optional reference adjustment against a meter you trust.
• Check the quality status: it tells you when the microphone is overloaded or the reading is outside the tested range.

The free version keeps 5 measurements of up to 10 seconds each. Premium records longer, keeps unlimited measurements and can keep recording with the screen locked for up to 8 hours; Android shows a notification while it runs. No audio is ever recorded or uploaded: the app only calculates the level.

Other options

• On iPhone, the free NIOSH SLM app from NIOSH is a good choice for workplace noise, and SoundSense is coming to the App Store. See how to measure decibels on iPhone.
• On an Apple Watch, the built-in Noise app warns you when the level around you stays high.
• For official measurements, councils, employers and acoustic consultants use certified sound level meters and noise dosimeters.

Sources

• NIOSH, NIOSH Sound Level Meter app
• NIOSH, Noise and hearing loss

Updated 23 October 2026 by the SoundSense team at Just IT.