Can you use your phone to find a wall stud?

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If you’re hanging something heavy on the wall of your home, like a TV or cabinets, you need to find wall studs to use as an anchor. One way to do this is to use a stud finder, which searches for suitable materials. But if you don’t have one, you can also use your phone. Granted, you’ll encounter situations where this setup doesn’t work as well as a dedicated scanner, so you might eventually consider choosing one.

A phone’s built-in magnetometer is generally less accurate, but it’s a viable alternative when you don’t have anything else. For this to work, you need an app like Stud Finder for Android or its iOS counterpart for Apple devices. You’ll also need a phone with a built-in three-axis magnetometer, which is quite common on today’s devices. Stud finders are one of the few handy tools that modern phones have turned into mobile apps.

To use one, like Stud Finder, it is recommended to remove any protective case from the phone before using the app, as it may interfere with readings. These aren’t advanced scanners, so the app won’t reveal plumbing or wiring, which means it’s possible you could drill into something other than a stud if you’re not careful. Instead, the app detects metal like screws and nails to know where the studs are. It is therefore important to understand that you will not locate the amount limits with a phone app, only the fasteners.

Most apps walk you through the process of finding studs or provide a tutorial. However, the basic steps include removing your phone’s case, choosing a detection mode, such as digital meter, sensor, depth, or graph, and calibrating through the interface to adjust the sensitivity. Finally, place your phone against the wall and find the studs. The process may be slightly different from app to app, but the concept remains the same.

The digital meter mode is generally the easiest to read and simply tells you when metal is detected. Graph mode shows you a real-time representation of magnetic fields. The most robust option is the deep detection mode, which shows you precise readings of the magnetic field, location headings and other factors. Think of it as the “pro” mode with additional data to help you better analyze the results.

If you don’t want to rely solely on an app and prefer a more traditional approach, you can opt for something like the Walabot Visual Stud Finder. It connects to your phone and allows you to “see” behind the wall. The Walabot system can detect studs, wood and metal, as well as plastic fixtures, live and non-live pipes and wires. Beyond that, you might consider a leveling tool or app that can turn your phone into a bubble level to ensure whatever you’re mounting looks great when finished.