Your iPhone Has A Built-In Barometer — Here's How To Use It

Apple has included a barometer in most iPhone models since the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launched in 2014, with only the first-generation iPhone SE excluded; the sensor measures barometric pressure to estimate elevation changes as users move higher or lower. Because pressure also shifts with weather, the hardware alone cannot distinguish climbing from an approaching storm, so apps must combine the reading with GPS altitude and local weather station data. The capability matters because it underpins accurate elevation and fitness tracking on hundreds of millions of devices, yet Apple ships no dedicated barometer app, leaving the data largely to third-party developers. What to watch next is whether Apple surfaces the sensor through a native app or expanded health and navigation features, and how developers use it alongside GPS and weather feeds.