# phyphox — Physical Phone Experiments

> Mobile app for conducting and creating physics experiments using phone sensors. (iPhone/iPad app by RWTH Aachen University.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phyphox/id1127319693 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [RWTH Aachen University](https://appshunter.io/developer/371466796)
- Category: Education
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 271 App Store ratings · 258 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 19 MB
- Languages: American English, Czech, Dutch, French (France), Georgian, German (Germany), Greek, Hindi, Italian, Japanese and 9 more
- Released: 2016-09-15
- Data updated: 2026-08-29
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phyphox/id1127319693/reviews.md

## What is phyphox?

Did you know that you are carrying a 3D magnetometer? That you can use your phone as a pendulum to measure earth's local gravitational acceleration? That you can turn your phone into a sonar?

phyphox gives you access to the sensors of your phone either directly or through ready-to-play experiments which analyze your data and let you export raw data along with the results for further analysis. You can even define your own experiments on phyphox.org and share them with colleagues, students and friends.

Selected Features:
- A selection of pre-defined experiments. Just press play to start.
- Export your data to a range of widely used formats
- Remote-control your experiment through a web interface from any PC on the same network as your phone. No need to install anything on those PCs - all you need is a modern web browser.
- Define your own experiments by selecting sensor inputs, defining analysis steps and creating views as an interface using our web-editor (http://phyphox.org/editor). The analysis can consists of just adding two values or using advanced methods like Fourier transforms and crosscorrelation. We offer a whole toolbox of analysis functions.

Sensors supported:
- Accelerometer
- Magnetometer
- Gyroscope
- Pressure
- Microphone
- Proximity
- GPS
*some sensors are not present on every phone.

Export formats
- CSV (Comma separated values)
- TSV (Tab-separated values)
- Excel
(if you need other formats, please let us know)


This app has been developed at the 2nd Institute of Physics A at the RWTH Aachen University.

## Key features

- Pre-defined experiments
- Data export (CSV, TSV, Excel)
- Web-based remote control
- Custom experiment editor
- Access to phone sensors
- Advanced analysis functions

## What do users think of phyphox?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 💡 Access to phone sensors
- 🔬 Useful for physics experiments
- 📊 Data logging and export
- 🆓 Free and no ads
- 🤔 Sparks curiosity
- 🛠️ Comprehensive toolset
- 🧑‍🏫 Great for education
- 📱 Intuitive interface
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- ✅ Reliable functionality
- 🌐 Open source
- 👨‍🔬 For curious minds
- 🧪 Hands-on learning
- 📈 Graph visualization
- 🧰 Versatile tool

**Cons**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 📉 Inconsistent performance
- 🔒 App locks/minimizes recording
- ❓ Units not always clear
- ⚠️ Potential for device damage
- 📱 Not compatible with older devices
- 😵 Confusing interface for some
- 🌐 Language issues
- 🚫 Barometer not working on iOS
- 🪲 Light sensor not implemented
- 🗄️ Storage issues
- 📉 Data export format limitations
- 🎛️ Sampling frequency not adjustable
- ❓ Sensor data accuracy concerns

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes on older devices
- Barometer not working on iOS 17.4
- Network error: Generic error
- Sound measurement curve disappears
- App crashes frequently
- Cannot be opened on iPhone 6
- Light sensor not implemented
- Recording stops when phone is locked or app is minimized
- Green lines on screen and faded to black after using barometer sensor
- WLAN not working after using the app
- Pressure no longer displayed on iOS 17.5
- Barometer not working on iOS 17.4
- Latest version cannot be opened on iPhone 6
- Sound chronometer reset button not working
- iPad destroyed after update
- App displays Russian language by default
- Experiments not working on iPhone 7
- Magnetometer not working after update on iPhone 5s
- GPS shows 0 satellites with 6m accuracy
- App claims iPhone 11 is comparable to a low-cost tablet
- App crashes every time

**Most requested features**

- Add infrasound detector
- More units of measurement (G-force, PSI, feet)
- NFC/RFID support
- In-app bug report feature
- Allow other sensors via USB-C
- Ability to plug in external sensors
- Slo-mo recording with timestamps
- Add attitude sensor (roll, pitch, yaw)
- Integration with Apple Shortcuts
- Ability to record audio/dB simultaneously with other sensors
- Adjustable sampling frequency for all sensors
- Dark mode option
- Experiment editor integrated into the app
- More documentation for the editor
- Ability to form averages
- Support for older iPhones (iPhone 6)
- Add GPS satellite count display
- Add speedometer functionality
- Add Lux measurement using light sensor/camera
- Ability to play recorded audio
- Limit input for sound analyzers (dB/Hz range)
- Wi-Fi and RF module access for EMF analysis
- iWatch integration
- Improve audio generator capability
- Allow background/screen locked recording
- Add light sensor functionality
- Change units of measurement
- Add more precise measurements for static cases
- Add FFT and spectral generation for accelerometer
- Support for older devices
- Improve UI/UX for new users
- Add support for more languages
- Add a donate option

## Recent user reviews (10 of 258)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phyphox/id1127319693/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Get that data

*2026-08-09, version 1.2.0*

Your phone has a bunch of sensors that this app helps you access!

### 5/5 — Combine with an LLM!

*2026-08-01, version 1.2.0*

Guys! ChatGPT 5.6 Sol and Claude Fable can accurately and intelligently deconstruct exported .CSV data from Phyphox. They can generate a ton of charts highlighting the most useful observations. Just make sure you use high / extended reasoning modes, but you’ll genuinely receive mindblowing, high quality analysis of your data and is the perfect way to have fun with PhyPjox. Analyze your driving using this combo! It’s soooo cool.

### 5/5 — Hyper pédagogique

*2026-07-28*

Aide à mieux comprendre la physique.
Mon seul regret est le wiki en anglais ce qui n’aide pas vraiment à comprendre les subtilités avec un niveau moyen

### 3/5 — Its ok, but camera features don’t work

*2026-07-17, version 1.2.0*

I have iphone SE, original. The apps camera functions don’t work. Get a quick blip of camera view then nothing, it freezes.  Updated app to try this.

 And sonar has never made sense. Just blobs across the screen. Clearly not random but doesn’t make any sense. Do I hold phone away, point flat, hold upright turn around, bottom, top, etc. would be nice to know what I need to do. What is it showing me? 

 It would be nice if after starting the “experiment “ the graph had the option to scroll with the data on a fixed time window, not keep compressing the data.

### 5/5 — Couteau suisse de la mesure

*2026-06-28*

Excellente application qui permet de transformer son téléphone en un outil de mesure très polyvalent. C'est traduit en plusieurs langues et en plus c'est gratuit. Que demander de plus? Eh bien la section commentaire de cette application permet aussi de détecter une grande variété de futur futurs génies du "stand-up" parmi nos chers jeunes élèves. C'est fascinant de voir autant de second degré et d'humour d'élite concentrés au même endroit. Le futur de la nation est entre de bonnes mains, et franchement... ça fait froid dans le dos.
Cinq étoiles pour l'outil, zéro pour l'avenir de l'humanité.

### 5/5 — Pocket Sensor Suite Saved My Wife’s Sleep

*2026-06-02, version 1.2.0*

My wife was hearing an annoying high pitched noise and couldn’t figure out what caused it. After a few minutes of unplugging things, I remembered this app existed. Within seconds I had the Audio Spectrum tool open and isolated the frequency. I spent a few minutes playing hot / cold and found the culprit, thanks to this amazing free app. 100% worth sticking on your phone just in case.

### 5/5 — Facultatif

*2026-05-29*

Application ,vivifiante , interessante et qui sûrement changeras votre vie .
Pour ma part c’est mon prof qui me l’a fait découvrir et vraiment pas déçu on peut calculer l albédo !!
Je l aime je vais pouvoir calculer l albédo de mes feuilles de canabis à la maison 
Ps: J espère ne pas me faire attraper 😉

### 5/5 — Chris Boden

*2026-01-18, version 1.2.0*

Chris Boden made me download it. 
 worth every penny

### 5/5 — Hours of Phun!

*2026-01-17*

Good for hours of laughter if used correctly! I learned I fart in G shart. My son said it was the fabled brown note. 
But seriously, if you have an unquenchable curiosity, you need this app.

### 5/5 — Amazing

*2026-01-08, version 1.2.0*

Thank you

## Frequently asked questions about phyphox

### What can I do with phyphox?

phyphox allows you to use your phone's sensors to conduct various physics experiments. You can utilize pre-built experiments or create your own using a web editor. The app enables you to analyze sensor data and export it for further investigation.

### What sensors does phyphox use?

The app can access a range of phone sensors including the accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope, pressure sensor, microphone, proximity sensor, and GPS. Please note that not all phones are equipped with every sensor.

### How can I export my data?

phyphox supports exporting your collected data in several widely used formats, including CSV (Comma Separated Values), TSV (Tab Separated Values), and Excel. This makes it easy to import your results into other analysis software.

### Can I create my own experiments?

Yes, you can define your own experiments using the web-editor available at phyphox.org. This allows you to select sensor inputs, define analysis steps, and create custom interfaces for your experiments, ranging from simple calculations to advanced methods.

### Is phyphox free to use?

Yes, phyphox is completely free to use. It does not have any in-app purchases or advertisements, allowing for uninterrupted scientific exploration.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.2.0 — 2025-07-08

New camera-based sensors to measure luma, luminance, hue, saturation and value.
New camera-related experiments: Brightness stopwatch, color stopwatch, brightness spectrum.
New UI elements: Slider, Dropdown and Toggle
Location/GPS experiment now features degrees/minutes/second coordinate format
Directly open zip files with experiments from other apps
Stronger visual feedback for button presses

For the full list of changes check out https://phyphox.org/wiki/index.php/Version_history#1.2.0

### 1.1.16 — 2024-05-13

- New image support in experiment configurations. (Not yet used in default configurations, but can be implemented by external ones.)
- Improved acoustic stopwatch performance, allowing for minimum delay settings below the internal audio buffer size of the device.
- Extend fix for pressure sensor on iOS 17.4 to all iOS 17 versions >= 17.4.
- Fix: Raw data not shown or exported in audio autocorrelation

### 1.1.15 — 2024-03-20

Another hotfix:
- Fix crash on iOS 12 devices
- Fix colors on iOS 12 by forcing bright color scheme
- Includes previous hotfix making the pressure sensor available again on iOS 17.4

### 1.1.14 — 2024-03-18

Hotfix:
- Workaround for additional permission that is required to access the pressure sensor in iOS 17.4
- Fix for crashes on iOS 12 devices

### 1.1.13 — 2024-02-16

Bugfixes and improvements. Most noticable to a wide audience:
- Fix: New Bluetooth status bar from v1.1.12 does not appear
- Fix: Crash when renaming saved states
- Fix: Front depth camera shown as available on all devices
Full changelog at https://phyphox.org/wiki/index.php/Version_history

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-29.*