Decibel Meter Pro on Your Apple Watch Protects Hearing
When it comes to your hearing, you can never be too careful. Our ears are remarkably delicate, and noises that are too loud can easily damage our hearing. That’s why many people invest in expensive decibel meters to ensure hearing safety. That’s no longer necessary, since your iPhone, Apple Watch and Decibel Meter Pro are all you need to accurately measure noise levels.
How Much Noise Is Too Much?
In fact, just short exposure to noise levels above 85 decibels can cause lasting damage. A normal conversation is approximately 60 decibels, while a lawn mower averages 90 decibels. That loud rock concert you went to last weekend probably hit 120 decibels or more.
How Does Decibel Meter Pro Work?
The app uses your iPhone’s microphone as a sound meter. It then measures the decibel levels, and reports it back to you. For quick readings when your iPhone is in your pocket, all you have to do is raise your wrist and run the app to get almost instant feedback.
It’s important to note that the app doesn’t seem to switch to using the microphone on your wrist. I tested this by putting my iPhone under my mattress and then cranking up Breaking Benjamin’s “Blow Me Away,” which registered almost 80 decibels with my iOS device on my desk. With the iPhone buried, though, the Apple Watch version of Decibel Meter Pro registered just 60 to 70 decibels.
Still a Useful Measurement
Even though the accuracy is decreased when your iPhone is in your pocket, it will still provide you with a good idea of when the noise is getting to be too much. For those really noisy environments, though, I’d recommend leaving your iOS device out to get really accurate measurements.
Decibel Meter Pro is a free download on the App Store, without any in-app ads that I experienced during my testing. The only distraction is the occasional full-screen pop-up encouraging you to purchase the premium version of the app for unlimited recordings and other features.