Sound Meter dB
Decibel Meter & Noise Detector
Free · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Point your phone at the noise and get an instant dB readout — color zones, a 30-second history graph, safe-exposure time and min/avg/max stats for every reading.
Sound Meter dB turns your phone into a live decibel meter: an instant dB readout on an analog-style dial, color-coded from quiet teal to dangerous red, with a 30-second history graph and safe-exposure guidance for every reading.
Open it, tap Start, and point the phone at the question — the party next door, the office HVAC, the restaurant that "isn't that loud", the machine that might be. Ten readings a second, smoothed like a real sound level meter.
MEASURES LIKE A REAL METER
A-weighted readings (dBA) that follow how the ear hears, Fast or Slow response, and Leq — the energy average — instead of a plain mean. The same maths as a sound level meter, on your phone.
THE DIAL
A 0-120 dB arc in eight color zones that light up as the level rises: teal and green while things are comfortable, yellow and orange as sound gets noticeable and loud, and reds from 80 dB up, where prolonged exposure starts to carry hearing risk. A pointer tracks the reading, a marker holds the session peak, and past 100 dB the whole readout turns red and says so.
EVERY READING, IN PLAIN ENGLISH
Numbers alone don't mean much, so each level gets a label and a familiar reference: 40 dB is a quiet library, 60 a normal conversation, 75 a vacuum cleaner, 95 power tools, 110 a rock concert. A built-in noise reference chart lists them all.
SAFE EXPOSURE, AT A GLANCE
Based on the NIOSH guideline (85 dB for 8 hours, halved every 3 dB louder), the app shows how long the current level is safe for — all day, two hours, fifteen minutes — and keeps count of the time spent over 85 dB.
THE LAST 30 SECONDS
A live history graph shows how the noise level has moved, with the 85 dB risk line drawn across it, so a spike or a steady drone is obvious at a glance.
MIN, LEQ, MAX AND TIME
Session stats run under the dial: minimum, Leq and maximum since you pressed Start, plus a session timer. Reset any time and measure the next thing, or share a reading as a card.
EVERY SESSION, SAVED
Measurements are kept on your device with their timeline, so you can show when the noise happened and how loud it was. Export any session — or all of them — as CSV.
FOCUS MODE
The reading as big as the screen, tinted by zone, and the whole screen turns red when the room stays above a level you choose. Made for classrooms, workshops and venues.
CALIBRATE IF YOU WANT TO
Have a reference meter? Add an offset in Settings until the two agree. Optional haptics warn you when the level crosses into the loud zones, and the screen can stay awake while you measure.
WORKS OFFLINE, STAYS PRIVATE
Sound is analyzed on your device to produce one number. Nothing is uploaded, no account exists, and the meter runs with no connection at all.
THE HONEST PART
Phone microphones are built for voice, not metrology — they aren't calibrated, and every model hears a little differently. Readings are good estimates: right for awareness, comparisons and settling "how loud is this really?", not a substitute for a certified Class 1 or Class 2 instrument.
GOOD FOR
- Checking noise around the home, office, classroom or workshop
- Concerts, venues and events — knowing when to give your ears a break
- Sleep and study environments, nurseries and baby rooms
- Comparing rooms, streets, appliances and commutes
- Showing kids what decibels actually mean
Sound Meter dB is free, supported by ads (a small banner under the meter and an occasional ad when the app opens). Every feature is available to everyone.
Privacy policy: https://noise.chinesepowered.com/privacy.html
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
A big refresh of the meter.
• Measures like a real meter: A-weighted dBA readings, Fast/Slow response and Leq (energy average) instead of a plain mean. No audio is ever written to disk.
• New dial: the color zones light up as the level rises, with a pointer, a peak marker and the reading front and center.
• Session history: every measurement is saved with its timeline; export any session as CSV.
• Focus mode: a huge reading that turns the whole screen red above a level you choose — great for classrooms.
• Live history graph of the last 30 seconds, with the 85 dB hearing-risk line.
• Safe-exposure guidance (NIOSH), plus the time spent over 85 dB.
• Share a reading as a card straight from the meter.
• Calibration, noise reference chart, optional haptics and keep-screen-awake.
• Now in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French and Italian.
The developer, Nelson Lai, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Used to Track You
The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:
- Identifiers
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Identifiers
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Nelson Lai
- Size
- 49 MB
- Category
- Utilities
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 16.4 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 16.4 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 16.4 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Contains
Advertising
- Copyright
- © Nelson Lai