This free app adds one of my favorite iPhone features to my Galaxy phone

I prefer Android to iOS, and there are a few features I miss every time I switch to an iPhone. Likewise, I sometimes miss certain things from my iPhone, which I use as my secondary device, on my Android phone.

Just last week, I wanted to mount a TV on a wall. I temporarily screwed the mounting frame to the wall and wanted to check if it was level. If I had my iPhone, I could’ve opened the built-in Measure app and used the Level tool to check the alignment.

Unfortunately, I didn’t, since I was only carrying my primary phone — the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Sure, it has a built-in level tool too, but its use case is very limited. So, I spent some time researching and, after trying all the popular apps, found Bubble Level to be the best fit for my needs.

Why I couldn’t use Samsung’s built-in Surface Level tool

Samsung offers a built-in Surface Level tool in the Edge Panel on many of its phones. It uses a bullseye level, which measures tilt across two axes simultaneously. As such, it’s great for checking whether a camera tripod or a turntable is flat on a surface: you lay the phone flat on its back, and the tool shows two concentric circles to indicate whether the surface is level or off, so you can make adjustments accordingly.

However, the Surface Level tool didn’t fit my use case. That’s because to check whether the frame was level or shifted to one side, I had to place the phone on top of the mounting frame along its narrow edge. But because the bullseye level is meant to measure the tilt of a flat surface — and not a single axis like a spirit level — it can’t tell me which side of the frame is hanging, which is what I need to know to align it properly.

What makes Bubble Level better than other apps

I’ve tried a bunch of popular level-checking apps before settling on Bubble Level. All of them were free (or offered a free tier) with good ratings and reviews. Some apps even bundled extra features, like the AR mode. However, Bubble Level stood out to me for three reasons.

First, despite being free, the app shows no ads. This may seem like a little thing, but it’s not, because when I’m in the middle of my work, I want a seamless user experience; I don’t want to place my phone on a surface and then have to wait for an ad to finish or hit the tiny close button to skip the ad before the app tells me whether it’s level.

Second, Bubble Level automatically selects the right mode based on how I place it on a surface. This is really convenient because, unlike other apps, it doesn’t require me to manually pick the mode based on the kind of surface and level I want to check. I can simply place my phone on a surface, and it automatically uses the appropriate mode and starts showing readings on the screen.

Last but not least, there’s the save option. Although it’s not a Bubble Level exclusive feature, it’s quite handy nonetheless. All I need to do is tap the screen to pause at a value, then hit the save button to save it. The app then saves it along with a bunch of details like reference, value, and the current date and time. It even lets me add labels to my saved readings, so they’re easy to reference later.

Do note that the free plan lets you save only three measurements. Once you exhaust that limit, you have to delete existing measurements to save new ones. This is my biggest gripe with Bubble Level. Sure, I can use the workaround, but it isn’t feasible when I want to check multiple surfaces back-to-back and save more than three measurements for comparison later.

How to use the Bubble Level app to check if a surface is level

Checking if a surface is level using the Bubble Level app is super easy. First, download the app to your Android phone from the Play Store link below. Open the app and hit Skip to start using the app right away. Alternatively, tap Get Started for a quick tour.

Now, let’s say you want to check if a photo frame you installed on a wall is level. Place the phone on the frame along its edge. The app will automatically select the appropriate level tool and display a number on the screen. If the frame is completely level, it will show 0.0, and the screen turns green. If not, you’ll see the tilt angle. Sometimes, this angle is preceded by a minus (-) sign. This means that the frame is down on the left side. If the frame tilts to the right, you’ll see the tilt angle without any sign.

Once you see the reading, tap and hold anywhere on the screen to freeze it. If you think you might need this reading later, tap the save icon to save it. Hit View to view the saved measurement. From here, you can label the reading, delete it, or share it with someone using your preferred app.

That’s pretty much all you need to know to use Bubble Level. However, the app comes with a few other options that you should know about. Although Bubble Level automatically picks the right mode depending on the surface you’re checking, you can select it manually, too. To do this, tap the spirit level icon or the concentric circle (when the phone is placed on its back) and tap the icon that appears in the menu above. You’ll see four modes here: Flat, Level, Plumb, and Camera. The first two are self-explanatory; meanwhile, the Plumb mode is handy for checking vertical alignment, and the Camera mode turns the phone into a viewfinder, overlaying alignment lines on the screen to help you fix alignment. All modes, except Camera, are available on the free plan.

Another useful option is calibration. Ideally, the Bubble Level app should work perfectly after installation, but if its readings seem off, you need to calibrate it. You may also want to do it if the surface of your phone case is uneven. With the app open, tap the gear icon to open settings. Select Calibration and tap the Start button at the bottom. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

While you’re on the Settings page, you can also configure other features and options as required. Here’s what I’ve done. I’ve turned on Vibration Alert so my phone vibrates when the level is in range, set the Alert Range option to Very Narrow for precise alignments, and turned on Keep Screen On so that the screen doesn’t turn off midway. Bubble Level offers plenty of other features, too, such as sound alerts, more measurement units, and a camera mode. You can unlock them by upgrading to Bubble Pro.

Other ways to check surface level on an Android phone

While researching the best level apps, I learned about two other ways to check level using an Android phone. A lesser-known method — one I had no idea existed — is using Google’s built-in level tool. It uses a bullseye level, similar to Samsung’s built-in Surface Level tool, but it can also act as a level tool, so you can check both flat surfaces and straight edges. To use it, open the Google app on your phone and search for “bubble level.” You can also access it in any web browser. Now, place the phone on the surface you want to check, and you’ll see readings on the screen, with a minus sign appearing when the left side is raised.

Another way to check level is to use the level meter in the Camera app as a reference. You need to have the Level option enabled in the Camera app to use this method. If it isn’t, open Camera, tap the four-dot icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen (with the phone held in portrait orientation), and tap the gear icon. Scroll down to the General section and flip the toggle next to Composition guide on. Tap it and select Level only or Grid lines and level based on your preference. Now, go back to the viewfinder screen. Place your phone on the surface you want to check is level or not, and you’ll see a horizontal line on the screen. This line appears white and tilts to the raised side. If the surface is completely flat, it turns yellow.

Having tried both methods, I think of them as workarounds — not reliable ways to check surface level. They’re good for one-off checks where you don’t need fine alignment; you can’t use them as a replacement for a dedicated app like Bubble Level, which packs essential features to make checking level on an Android phone easy and less stressful.