There are many functions offered by the iPhone and some of them seem so common that we do not stop to think about their origin and why they work that way. If you’ve ever stopped to read the features that iPhones have, you’ve seen words like “gyroscope” or “accelerometer.” But what are these and what are they for? Well, they are sensors that Apple incorporates in the terminals and that in this article we will explain what they are for and in which specific iPhone they have been integrated.
Types of iPhone sensors that exist
Below we explain what each of the sensors that can be found in Apple smartphones consist of, as well as the usefulness they have in the day-to-day use of the device. Of course, we exclude camera lenses, microphones, antennas and other elements that are not considered sensors themselves from the list.
Accelerometer
Although for very technical purposes this is a complex sensor to explain, along with the rest, at a functional level it acts as a device movement detector . You will not be able to know if something around you is moving, but if it is the culprit that the operating system knows in which position the iPhone is and that it is able to perform certain actions around it.
Its performance is key when, for example, you use the iPhone horizontally , since the screen of the device will rotate to offer you that visual experience. The same happens when actions such as shaking the iPhone are carried out to erase a text written in a note, since it is the accelerometer that detects that movement.
Three axis gyroscope
According to the comments for the accelerometer, starting with the iPhone 4, this element began to be added as an aid sensor to the other mentioned sensor. In fact, this sensor makes much more sense than the previous one for the functions discussed around the orientation of the device , since it is capable of measuring with better precision the turns that are made on the iPhone.
It has another utility in certain video games in which the movement controls are carried out by moving the iPhone. Surely you know a racing game in which you drive a vehicle that rotates while you move the iPhone to that side, this three-axis gyroscope being the one in charge of measuring it and making the movements more precise.
Proximity sensor
Have you ever wondered why the screen turns off when we talk on the phone ? The proximity sensor is built into the top of every iPhone, right next to the speaker. And that position does not have its origin in chance, since it is incorporated in that place so that the sensor detects when you are talking on the phone or listening to an audio message to put the screen to sleep and avoid accidental and passing touches. save battery.
Ambient light sensor
This other sensor is closely related to the proximity sensor and is sometimes mounted on the same element. What this sensor does, as its name suggests, is to detect the light around the iPhone. In fact, it is the one that also causes the screen to turn off when we stick the device to the ear, since it detects that the light has decreased by not receiving it because it is glued to your skin.
In the most recent iPhone this sensor is used together with the processor to detect the environmental situation in which we find ourselves and adjust some parameters of the screen such as the brightness level or the color. See the True Tone function added in the iPhone of the last generations and later extended to other devices of the brand.
Barometer
Barometers are popularly known as the instruments used to measure the pressure of the atmosphere. They are usually gadgets that are used in environments determined by meteorology professionals, however it is possible to find it in some iPhones in a reduced way. Of course, it is functionally limited and there is no native application or tool that makes the most of it, although there are some applications in the App Store that are intended to be used.
Fingerprint sensor
Touch ID probably sounds to you and that is how the functions offered by this fingerprint sensor in the iPhone are known. It is an element that is capable of reading fingerprints and registering them safely on the iPhone, being able to distinguish them and serve as a biometric security element. Its usefulness in the system ranges from unlocking the iPhone to being able to make payments through Apple Pay , through the possibility of accessing apps and websites quickly without having to manually enter the password.
Facial recognition sensors
The one known as Face ID is composed of a system of sensors that are officially called TrueDepth . If the former was capable of registering and recognizing fingerprints, they do so with people’s faces. To do this, they take advantage of their 3D capabilities with the emission of a series of infrared rays projected on the face of the person in front of them, being in the end a more sophisticated method than what is found in other unlocks that only recognize a face through an image. in 2D.
This has the same effects as Touch ID, since it also allows you to perform actions such as unlocking the iPhone, making payments or replacing passwords. Of course, so far it has never been complementary to Touch ID, since iPhones that have one of these sensors do not incorporate the other.
LiDAR scanner
This element acts somewhat in a similar way to the facial recognition sensors discussed above. It is a visible element in the rear camera module of the most recent iPhone that, invisibly, projects a series of infrared lasers with which it is capable of creating 3-dimensional maps to perfection by being able to measure distances and detect objects wherever. be aimed at a length of approximately 2 meters.
Its usefulness lies in being able to have improvements in augmented reality in specialized apps, with a much higher precision that improves with the processing of the phone’s processor. However, it is also very useful in the photographic field , since the portrait mode improves considerably in iPhones that have this sensor, especially in low-light conditions where the lenses alone are not capable of detecting the object or person that is posing.
Gps
This is probably one of the most relevant sensors on an iPhone and one that also requires less explanation. As you probably already know, this is a sensor that is used to position the device on a map and that is generally integrated into the antennas that it uses to connect to telephone networks.
There are many utilities that we find for the GPS in the system. From serving as a navigator on car routes or walking through apps like Google Maps, to being able to have the iPhone located in case of loss or theft through the Search application. It also has utilities to offer you the temperature of the area where you are using the Weather app and even find improvements in the WiFi signal or mobile data to surf the internet.
Compass
To tell the truth, Apple does not integrate a compass in its iPhones. And it does not, since the utility that this would offer is achieved through communication between other sensors such as GPS or gyroscope and accelerometer. The iPhone is able to emulate the functions of a compass thanks to others. Therefore, although this sensor as such does not exist in any of the iPhone, it does not mean that the functionalities of this element cannot be obtained and therefore we have considered it relevant to highlight it in a separate point as if it were just another sensor.
Which of them does your iPhone have?
Given the possible sensors that Apple phones incorporate, you should know which ones each model incorporates. Not all those detailed above are incorporated into them, so the following list will be useful in which we detail what elements each of the iPhones that Apple has been launching in all this time will be assembled.
- iPhone (1st gen.): official data on the sensors of this first Apple terminal are unknown
- iPhone 3G:
- Accelerometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Gps
- iPhone 3GS:
- Accelerometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Gps
- Iphone 4:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Gps
- Iphone 4s:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Gps
- iPhone 5:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Gps
- Iphone 5c:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Gps
- Iphone 5s:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
- Gps
- Iphone 6:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
- Gps
- iPhone 6 Plus:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
- Gps
- iPhone 6s:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
- Gps
- iPhone 6s Plus:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
- Gps
- iPhone SE (1st generation):
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
- Gps
- iPhone 7:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
- Gps
- iPhone 7 Plus:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
- Gps
- iPhone 8:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
- Gps
- iPhone 8 Plus:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
- Gps
- iPhone X:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Facial recognition sensors
- Gps
- iPhone XS:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Facial recognition sensors
- Gps
- iPhone XS Max:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Facial recognition sensors
- Gps
- iPhone XR:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Facial recognition sensors
- Gps
- iPhone 11:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Facial recognition sensors
- Gps
- iPhone 11 Pro:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Facial recognition sensors
- Gps
- iPhone 11 Pro Max:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Facial recognition sensors
- Gps
- iPhone SE (2nd generation):
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
- Gps
- iPhone 12:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Facial recognition sensors
- Gps
- iPhone 12 mini:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Facial recognition sensors
- Gps
- iPhone 12 Pro:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- LiDAR scanner
- Facial recognition sensors
- Gps
- iPhone 12 Pro Max:
- Three axis gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- LiDAR scanner
- Facial recognition sensors
- Gps
