Your phone has a powerful weather instrument hidden inside
Thanks to the Internet, it’s incredibly easy to open an app and immediately get a detailed weather report. But what you may not realize is that your phone has its own precise weather instruments. Most phones have a barometer inside, and it’s more useful than you think.
What is a barometer used for?
And why is there one in your phone?
Let’s start with the basics. A barometer is a device that measures the gravitational pull on gases in the atmosphere, known as “atmospheric pressure” or “atmospheric pressure.” The weight of the air around us is constantly changing and can help predict the future.
Old-school barometers use mercury and a graduated cylinder to measure atmospheric pressure. Mercury increases or decreases depending on the pressure exerted by the air. Fortunately, there is no tube of mercury inside your phone. We now use digital barometers that measure atmospheric pressure with microelectromechanical sensors.
The reason there’s a barometer in your phone has nothing to do with the weather. Air pressure changes with altitude, and phones use this information to improve GPS accuracy. However, you can access barometric readings and use them for other purposes.
Why is atmospheric pressure important?
Don’t just scroll through it
Why should you care what a barometer has to say? Air pressure is a measurement that helps meteorologists predict the type of weather to come. You’ve probably heard them use the terms “low pressure system” and “high pressure system.” They talk about atmospheric pressure.
- High pressure: When the atmospheric pressure increases and is high (above 30.20 inHg), calm weather arrives. A drop in pressure in this range means clouds and warming.
- Low pressure: As air pressure rises and falls (below 29.80 inHg), cooler, clearer weather is headed your way. A drop in pressure in this range means rain and storms.
- Normal pressure: “Normal” atmospheric pressure is between 29.80 and 30.20 inHg, and this generally means that current weather conditions are stable. A rapid drop in pressure in this range indicates precipitation.
Air pressure can tell us a lot about the weather, but your body feels it too. Significant changes in air pressure can cause migraines, joint pain, and affect your blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
How to use your phone’s built-in barometer
Offline weather readings
There are clearly good reasons to pay attention to atmospheric pressure. That’s why virtually every weather app ever created includes current barometric pressure readings along with temperature, humidity, and dew point, another important overlooked measurement.
However, unlike any other measurements you might use to get an idea of the weather, you can measure air pressure yourself without an internet-connected app. All you need is a simple app that can read the barometer hidden in your phone.
Barometer & Altimeter from EXA Tools is a free application for Android and iPhone. After installing the app, you just need to give it permission to access your location. Go to Settings and make sure “Pressure Type” is set to “Station Pressure”. The app will then immediately show you the current pressure measured by your phone’s barometer. Tap the compass icon in the top corner to mark the current reading on the scale.
A yellow triangular warning icon above the pressure value means that your device does not have a built-in barometer. The app uses the nearest weather station if this is the case.
As I explained earlier, current atmospheric pressure is only part of the equation. Changes in atmospheric pressure also tell us a lot. You can use the mark on the scale to monitor pressure changes throughout the day. The next time you open the app, it will tell you how the air pressure has changed from your previous mark.
At the time of writing this article, the air pressure at my location is within the normal pressure range. It has been slowly decreasing over the past few days, which usually means precipitation is coming. So it’s no surprise that I see rain and snow in the forecast for the next few days.
Admittedly, checking your phone’s internal pressure readings isn’t the most practical way to plan your week. You probably won’t be replacing your favorite weather app with a barometer app anytime soon, even though the offline capabilities are pretty handy.
That being said, it’s just cool to see data from a little-known sensor in your phone. A barometer is one of several sophisticated pieces of equipment located under your phone’s screen that are constantly working behind the scenes. Even if you only open the app every now and then to see the “weight” of the sky, it’s a fun little reminder of a technology we often take for granted.
Forget Humidity, Dew Point Is How It Really Feels Outdoors
Next time you open your weather app, ignore the humidity number and look at the dew point. Trust me.
