ManySound Meter
Measure how loud it is around you, in decibels.
How to measure sound with your phone
- Tap Start measuring and allow the microphone when your browser asks.
- Hold the phone at arm's length with the microphone — usually on the bottom edge — pointing towards the sound, and keep your fingers and the case clear of it.
- Watch the live reading for 15 to 30 seconds. Min, Avg and Peak build up from the moment you start, so tap Reset stats each time you move to a new spot.
- Tap Stop when you are done, which releases the microphone.
What the decibel numbers mean
The decibel scale is logarithmic, not linear. Every step of 10 dB is ten times the sound energy and is heard as roughly twice as loud, so 70 dB is not a little more than 60 dB — it sounds about double. A rise of only 3 dB already doubles the energy reaching your ear.
| Level | Typical source |
|---|---|
| 30 dB | A whisper, a quiet bedroom at night |
| 40 dB | A library, a quiet living room |
| 50 dB | Moderate rain, a quiet office |
| 60 dB | Normal conversation at one metre |
| 70 dB | A vacuum cleaner, a busy restaurant |
| 85 dB | Heavy traffic from the kerb, a kitchen blender |
| 100 dB | A motorcycle, a nightclub, power tools |
| 110 dB and up | A concert near the speakers, a car horn at close range |
How loud is too loud
Hearing damage depends on how loud a sound is and how long you are in it. The US occupational health institute NIOSH recommends an average of no more than 85 dB over an eight-hour day, and halves the safe time for every 3 dB above that: about four hours at 88 dB, two hours at 91 dB, one hour at 94 dB and only fifteen minutes at 100 dB. If the average here sits above 85 dB for long, ear protection or a break is worth it.
How accurate a phone sound meter is
This meter measures the strength of the signal your microphone picks up and places it on a decibel scale using a fixed reference. That makes it good for comparing: which room is quieter, whether a machine got louder, how a street changes between morning and night.
It is not a calibrated instrument. Microphones differ from one phone model to the next, many phones adjust the microphone level automatically, and all of them flatten out on very loud sounds, so a 105 dB noise can read lower than it really is. For a noise complaint, a workplace assessment or anything with legal weight, a certified sound level meter is needed.
Check how noisy a place is — an office, a street, a room with music. The meter listens through your microphone and shows an approximate loudness in decibels, plus the quietest, average and loudest levels since you started.
What do the numbers mean?
Roughly: 30 dB is a whisper, 60 dB conversation, 85 dB busy traffic, 100 dB+ a concert. Long exposure above about 85 dB can harm hearing.
Is anything recorded?
No. Audio is analysed live for loudness only — nothing is recorded or uploaded.
More phone tools: Compass · Flashlight