How to use LiDAR on iPhone

Step 1: Check that your iPhone has LiDAR

Only Pro models have it. Apple's list of iPhone models with a LiDAR Scanner starts at the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max and includes every Pro and Pro Max since. iPad Pro models from 2020 have it too. Standard iPhones, the iPad Air and the iPad mini do not.

To check the phone in your hand, look at the camera block on the back. The LiDAR Scanner is the dark circle, about the size of a small lens, that sits beside the rear cameras. If it is there, you can do everything in this guide. For how the sensor works and what it measures, see what LiDAR on iPhone is; this article only covers how to use it.

Step 2: Measure an object or a person with the Measure app

Measure is already on your iPhone, in the Utilities folder. It works on any iPhone, and on models with LiDAR it gains edge guides, a Ruler view, height measurement and a history of your measurements. Apple's steps for measuring dimensions with iPhone are:

1. Open Measure and move the iPhone slowly so the camera sees the object and the surface around it.
2. For a rectangle such as a table top or a picture frame, wait for the white box that frames it, then tap the box to see its dimensions.
3. For any other distance, put the dot in the centre of the screen on the start point and tap the Add button (+). Pan slowly to the end point and tap Add again to see the length.
4. Along an edge, hold the dot on the straight edge of a piece of furniture or a worktop until a guide line appears, then measure along it. This is the LiDAR edge guide.
5. For finer detail, move the iPhone closer to a finished measurement line. It turns into a ruler with unit marks.
6. Tap the shutter button to save a photo of the measurement.

Apple recommends well-defined objects between 0.5 and 3 metres from the phone, and says plainly that the measurements are approximate. Use it for "will this fit", not for cutting a worktop.

Measure a person's height

Open Measure and frame the person from head to toe. After a moment a line appears at the top of their head with the height below it. It works for someone sitting down as well. To measure again, turn the iPhone away for a moment so the height resets. Apple documents this under measuring a person's height with iPhone.

Keep your measurements

On LiDAR models, Measure keeps a list of the measurements from the current session, with screenshots. Open the list, tap Copy and paste it into Notes or a message. Heights are not in that list, so save those as a photo.

Step 3: Scan a room into a floor plan and 3D model

Measure gives you one distance at a time. To capture a whole room, with every wall, door and window in one go, you need a scanning app. FloorLens is one, and it is free to scan, measure and export. The steps:

1. Install the app on an iPhone or iPad with LiDAR running iOS 26 or later, and start a scan. No account is needed.
2. Hold the device up and walk slowly along the walls, at least 0.5 metres from the surface you are scanning. Take your time at corners, doorways and windows, because those edges define the plan.
3. Watch the live coverage feedback. It flags the areas that need another pass, so go back over them before you finish.
4. Stop the scan. The floor plan and an editable 3D scene are ready straight away, with no upload and no waiting step.
5. Read off what you need: wall lengths, room areas, ceiling heights and the dimensions of objects are measured automatically.
6. Fix anything the scan got wrong. You can move, resize, add or remove walls and objects, and set which way a door swings.
7. Export a PDF, an image or a 3D model, or share the scan as a link that opens in a web browser.

The full walkthrough is in how to make a floor plan from an iPhone LiDAR scan. If you want the model in other software, see exporting a room scan as GLB, USDZ or OBJ, and if you want to send it to someone, see how to share a 3D home tour link. FloorLens is built for rooms and homes. For scanning a single object, or for a phone without LiDAR, a different app is the better choice: the comparison of iPhone 3D room scanning apps covers the alternatives.

Measurements from a phone scan are typically within a few centimetres across a room, and how accurate iPhone LiDAR is depends on how you scan. Areas are estimates, not a survey, and not legally binding. That is enough for a listing, a furniture plan or a renovation quote, and not enough for a contract or a valuation.

Getting a clean scan

The short version of the LiDAR scanning tips:

• Walk the perimeter of each room instead of turning on the spot in the middle.
• Move slowly. A second slow pass over a flagged area fixes most gaps.
• Stay close to what you are scanning. The sensor needs at least 0.5 metres. Apple gives its range as up to 5 metres; in FloorLens scans on an iPhone 17 Pro it reaches around 8 metres in practice. Either way, the depth gets less accurate with distance. In a large room, walk towards the far wall instead of scanning it from across the room.
• Keep a single scan under five minutes if you can. On a longer scan the device gets hot and slows down.
• Face window walls straight on so the openings are captured cleanly.
• Clear the floor a little, and open the blinds. LiDAR measures without light, but the photos that go with the scan need it.

This is the use that matters most to the people FloorLens is made for: real estate agents who need a floor plan for a listing, landlords, and architects who want the existing state of a space on the first visit.

Step 4: Take a portrait in low light

In the Camera app you do not use LiDAR so much as benefit from it. When Apple introduced the sensor on the iPhone 12 Pro, it said the LiDAR Scanner brings faster autofocus in low light and Night mode portraits. Autofocus needs nothing from you. For a portrait in a dark room:

1. Open Camera and swipe to Portrait mode.
2. Follow the tips on the screen.
3. Tap the Shutter button.

Apple's page on using Night mode on your iPhone (dated February 2026) lists Night mode Portrait for the Pro and Pro Max models from the iPhone 12 Pro to the iPhone 16 Pro. Turning on the flash or Live Photos switches Night mode off.

Step 5: Detect doors, people and furniture with Magnifier

Magnifier has a Detection Mode for people who are blind or have low vision. On iPhones with LiDAR it reports doors, people and furniture nearby, and how far away they are. Apple's steps for detecting doors, people and furniture with Magnifier:

1. Open the Magnifier app and tap the Detection Mode button. If it is not shown, add it in Magnifier's controls.
2. Touch and hold the button and choose People, Furniture or Doors.
3. Point the rear camera at your surroundings. The iPhone tells you what it finds with sounds, speech or haptic feedback, more often as you get closer.
4. If you hear nothing, check that Silent mode is off.

Apple warns that Detection Mode should not be relied on for navigation or in situations where you could be harmed.

What you cannot do with it

• Turn it on or off. There is no LiDAR setting. An app that needs the sensor uses it; otherwise it is idle.
• Add it to a phone that lacks it. No app can make up for the missing sensor. Apps that scan with photos alone work on any iPhone, but they are a different technique.
• Replace a surveyor. Measure is approximate by Apple's own description, and a room scan is not survey-grade. For anything legal or structural, hire a professional.

If you came here because you have a Pro iPhone and wondered what the extra circle on the back is for, start with Measure, then scan one room. A scan shows what the sensor can do faster than any description, and you can see what a FloorLens scan gives you before you install anything.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn on LiDAR on my iPhone?

You don't. There is no LiDAR switch in Settings and no LiDAR app. The sensor is used by the apps that need it, such as Measure, Camera, Magnifier and 3D scanning apps, while they are open.

Is there a LiDAR app on iPhone?

Apple does not ship a standalone LiDAR app. Measure, Camera and Magnifier use the sensor, and to scan a room or an object in 3D you install a scanning app from the App Store.

Can I use LiDAR on a non-Pro iPhone?

No. The LiDAR Scanner is only on Pro and Pro Max models from the iPhone 12 Pro onward and on iPad Pro models from 2020. The Measure app still works on other iPhones, without the LiDAR extras such as Ruler view and height measurement.

Can I scan a room with iPhone LiDAR?

Yes, with a scanning app. FloorLens turns a walk around the room into a floor plan and a 3D model with measurements that are typically within a few centimetres across a room. The figures are estimates, not a survey.