The iPhone has a bunch of great native apps that can really help you get your work done. But one of the best, little-known apps that comes on your iPhone is the Measure app and its hidden spirit level. The level on your iPhone, while sometimes imperfect, does a pretty decent job of gauging how straight your paintings are hanging. There are a few keys to getting the iPhone level to work right, but this has helped me out in so many circumstances where I did not have access to a spirit level.

Why You'll Love This Tip

Ensure your paintings, photos, shelves, etc., are hanging straight.
When hanging multiple decorations, make sure they're all lined up properly.

How to Use Level on iPhone & iPad

System Requirements

This tip was performed on an iPhone 17 Pro running iOS 26. Find out how to update to the latest version of iOS.

The Level feature in the Measure app relies on the iPhone’s internal accelerometer to determine how straight something is or is not. Now, here's how to use the level app on iPhone:

Open the Measure app on your iPhone.
Tap the Level tab.
Hold your device on the surface you'd like to check for level. You will be immediately able to see the degree of angle.
When your device (and therefore the surface you're testing) is level, you'll see a green screen and 0º.
If the surface you're checking isn't level, the screen will be black, and you'll see how many degrees plus or minus it's off from level.

The level app comes in handy when trying to hang a painting or a photo and you want to make sure it's level. However, if you're doing a construction project and need to be extremely precise, I’d still recommend using a traditional level. But for things that aren’t as serious, this is such an amazing and convenient tool that I find myself using all the time, especially when redecorating.

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