How to use your smartphone as a metal detector (yes, really)

By Rick Rouse

Most folks love upgrading to a new smartphone at every opportunity, and chances are you have several unused, but working phones tucked away in a drawer somewhere.

​If you’re like me, you probably hate having a perfectly good portable computer (that’s really what a smart phone is) doing nothing more than gathering dust.

I’ve written several posts in the past explaining how to give an old smartphone a new life by turning it into something useful simply by installing an app. I have another such tip for you today.

Believe it or not, by downloading a free app you can turn your old iPhone or Android phone into a fully functioning metal detector.

In a nutshell, the metal detector apps instruct your phone to detect the magnetic fields of metal objects. I gave one of them a try with one of my old Samsung phones, and it works like a charm!

To be sure, your smartphone metal detector isn’t going to help you find a buried treasure that’s covered by two feet of soil, but it works great when searching for something like a screw you accidentally dropped in the grass or a ring you lost at a campsite.

To turn your old iPhone into a metal detector, just download the free app from this page and install it. If you have an Android phone, you can download the app for it right here.

If you’re the industrious type, you can mount your new “smart phone metal detector” on the end of a stick so you can use it without bending over.

Bonus tip: In a pinch, you can use your current phone as a metal detector as well. If you really need to find something you can simply install the app on your phone and use it to find the item you’re looking for. When you’re done just uninstall the app!

Of course if you ever have a need for a full-blown metal detector, you’ll find plenty to choose from right here