What does the waveform actually show?

The waveform plots the combined acceleration detected by your phone's accelerometer over time. Taller spikes indicate sharper or stronger vibration events; a flatter line means less movement.

Can it detect earthquakes?

It can detect the shaking from nearby vibrations and minor ground movements, but phone accelerometers aren't seismological instruments. For earthquake monitoring, professional seismographs are used.

Does the phone need to be flat on the surface?

For the most representative reading, yes — place the phone flat so it couples with the surface. Holding it in your hand will pick up your own hand movement instead.

Is sensor data sent anywhere?

No. All accelerometer data is read and processed locally on your device. Nothing is uploaded, logged, or shared.

Vibration Meter

APP

Plot vibration over time like a seismograph.

Best on the app

Vibration Meter needs your phone's hardware

It reads the accelerometer to plot vibration over time. Download Carbide free to use it — plus all 111 tools, fully offline.

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What it does

Vibration Meter reads your device's accelerometer and plots live vibration intensity over time, similar to a seismograph. As you set your phone on a surface — a washing machine, a car dashboard, a desk — it draws a real-time waveform showing how much the surface is shaking and at what intensity. It also calculates a numeric reading so you can compare vibration levels before and after making an adjustment. The tool is free, works completely offline, requires no account, and processes all sensor data entirely on your device — nothing is shared externally. It's handy for diagnosing machine imbalance, checking whether vibration isolators are working, or simply satisfying curiosity about how much your environment moves.

How to use the Vibration Meter

Place your phone flat on the surface you want to measure (table, appliance, floor, etc.).
Open Vibration Meter — it will immediately begin reading the accelerometer and drawing the waveform.
Watch the live graph: larger peaks mean stronger vibration; a flat line means the surface is still.
Read the numeric intensity value to get a comparable figure you can note down.
Move your phone to another surface or change the machine's settings and compare the new reading.

Frequently asked questions

What does the waveform actually show?: The waveform plots the combined acceleration detected by your phone's accelerometer over time. Taller spikes indicate sharper or stronger vibration events; a flatter line means less movement.
Can it detect earthquakes?: It can detect the shaking from nearby vibrations and minor ground movements, but phone accelerometers aren't seismological instruments. For earthquake monitoring, professional seismographs are used.
Does the phone need to be flat on the surface?: For the most representative reading, yes — place the phone flat so it couples with the surface. Holding it in your hand will pick up your own hand movement instead.
Is sensor data sent anywhere?: No. All accelerometer data is read and processed locally on your device. Nothing is uploaded, logged, or shared.

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All 111 tools, offline, on iOS & Android — free.