Stud Finder: Metal Detector

Locate studs, nails, and screws behind your walls with precision. Stud Finder: Wall Scanner & Metal Detector turns your smartphone into a practical DIY tool, using your device's built-in magnetic sensor to detect ferromagnetic metal hidden behind drywall.

Whether you're mounting a TV, hanging shelves, or installing cabinets, the app gives you the real-time data you need to find the right spot to drill — and, just as importantly, tells you exactly where on your phone that reading was taken.

CORE FEATURES

• Find Your Sensor — Your phone's magnetometer isn't in the middle of the device; on many phones it sits near a top corner, up to 6 cm from where you'd naturally mark. A guided one-time setup locates it on your specific handset, so you mark the wall where the metal actually is, not where the crosshair happens to sit.

• Live Field Readout — See the real measurement in microtesla (µT) as you scan, alongside the detection threshold you need to cross. No abstract percentage bars — you can tell a faint signal from a strong one at a glance.

• Stud Centre Detection — The reading climbs as you approach a fastener and falls once you pass it. The app tracks that turnover and marks the peak, so you find the centre rather than an edge.

• Automatic Sensor Correction — Phone magnetometers carry a built-in magnetic offset from the hardware around them, which on some devices is larger than the signal you're hunting. The app measures and cancels this continuously in the background.

• Live Camera Preview — Overlay the scanning interface on your wall to keep your eyes on the surface while you work.

• Built-in Spirit Level — Once you've found the stud, level what you hang on it. A true gravity-based level with a bubble vial, degree readout, and a zero-calibration option for surfaces you know are true.

• Multi-Sensory Feedback — Sound alerts and haptic patterns intensify as the signal rises, so you can scan without staring at the screen.

• Adjustable Sensitivity — Three presets in real µT units, so the same wall reads the same way every time.

HOW TO USE

Locate your sensor — Run the one-time sensor setup and slide a screw or key over the screen to find where your phone measures from.

Calibrate — Hold your phone against the wall and start calibration to establish a baseline.

Scan — Glide the phone slowly and flat across the wall.

Detect — Watch the live µT reading, or listen for the intensifying audio and haptic feedback.

Mark — When the signal peaks, mark the wall at your sensor's position — you've found a fastener, and the stud behind it.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• What we detect: magnetic metal — nails and screws. Not wood, not plastic/PEX pipe, and not live electrical wiring.

• Hardware: requires a working built-in magnetometer.

• Take your case off: magnetic cases, wallet cases and pop-sockets overwhelm the sensor and are the single most common cause of poor results.

• Move slowly and keep the phone flat against the wall. Tilting the phone mid-scan is the main source of false readings, and the app will pause its reading while you turn it.

• Depth matters: thick plaster, tile, or lath-and-plaster reduces range. Deeper or weakly magnetised fasteners give weaker signals.

Privacy & Terms: Built for utility and DIY. We prioritise privacy and don't collect unnecessary data. Full privacy policy in app settings.

Subscription: Full access requires a subscription — $4.99/week (3-day free trial) or $39.99/year. No ads, no free tier, no upsells. Cancel anytime in your Google Play settings.