--- key: mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-09 type: mechanic id: phone-magnetometer--family-09 lang: en title: Search and interaction with space summary: >- The player can locate a magnetic-field source by moving the phone and comparing readings. Signal changes guide further searching. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-09/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-09.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-09.md aliases: - Searching through field changes tags: - Phone magnetometer interactions - Mechanics catalog sourceIds: - source-603978442e60360e sources: - id: source-603978442e60360e title: Physics Toolbox Magnetometer url: >- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/physics-toolbox-magnetometer/id1003749103?uo=4 verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: phone-magnetometer id: family-09 title: Phone magnetometer interactions url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/phone-magnetometer/#family-09' categoryIds: - section-1 supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Searching through field changes description: >- The player can locate a magnetic-field source by moving the phone and comparing readings. Signal changes guide further searching. image: src: images/mechanics/sensor-physics-magnet-3.webp width: 665 height: 1440 crop: x: 51 'y': 323 width: 563 height: 1034 game: Physics Toolbox Magnetometer sourceUrl: >- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/physics-toolbox-magnetometer/id1003749103?uo=4 originalUrl: >- https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource211/v4/76/23/58/7623583b-a84f-fd15-b138-fa78cf800baa/04-record-lab-data.png/720x1560bb.jpg credit: Chrystian Vieyra rights: >- © Chrystian Vieyra. Developer-distributed App Store screenshot. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: 'Physics Toolbox: a recording of sharp magnetic-field changes' alt: 'Physics Toolbox: a recording of sharp magnetic-field changes' markers: - x: 44 'y': 64 label: A field peak can supply a threshold-action input tips: - A magnetometer measures fields and does not detect every kind of metal. examples: - title: Physics Toolbox Magnetometer url: >- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/physics-toolbox-magnetometer/id1003749103?uo=4 endsAt: null provenance: >- Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/phone-magnetometer --- # Search and interaction with space id: phone-magnetometer--family-09 type: mechanic key: mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-09 lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-magnetometer--family-09/ The player can locate a magnetic-field source by moving the phone and comparing readings. Signal changes guide further searching. ## At a glance ![Physics Toolbox: a recording of sharp magnetic-field changes](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/sensor-physics-magnet-3.webp) [Physics Toolbox Magnetometer](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/physics-toolbox-magnetometer/id1003749103?uo=4) · © Chrystian Vieyra. Developer-distributed App Store screenshot. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. 1. A field peak can supply a threshold-action input - A magnetometer measures fields and does not detect every kind of metal. - [Physics Toolbox Magnetometer](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/physics-toolbox-magnetometer/id1003749103?uo=4) ## How it works Changes in the magnetic environment become a condition for searching or orienting in the surveyed area. ## Variants ### Variants and applications - Magnetic “hot-cold”. Action: Move the phone and use the relative signal to look for a hidden magnet. Application: Treasure search, detective, examination of an object with a scanner. Limitations: The signal is local and does not have to grow monotonically towards the target; record orientation when comparing. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared site. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Game rule. - Field map. Action: Take readings at marked points and build a map. Application: Research game, training, search for anomalies, installation map. Limitations: Coordinates are set by a person, camera or other tracker; the magnetometer itself does not measure them. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared site. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Application script. - Route recognition by fingerprint. Action: Match field sequence to pre-recorded passages. Application: Museum route, building quest, additional landmark without GNSS. Limitations: Requires map, matching and usually inertial data; portability between phones is checked. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared site. Preparation: Experimental. Type: Application script. - Scene by zone. Action: Recognize a prepared area by local magnetic pattern. Applications: Sound history, exposure, changing game environments. Limitations: Do not rely on a single field value as a unique room address. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared area. Preparation: Experimental. Type: Game rule. - Magnetic control points. Action: Take turns to detect prepared local marks. Application: Toy track, quest route, control of stages. Limitations: Requires verified points and a limited reading distance; these are not beacons for tens of meters. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared site. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Game rule. - Gradient comparison. Action: Measure the field at several close positions and select the next direction based on the difference. Application: Source investigation, virtual instrument, local anomaly search. Limitations: This is a spatial comparison of successive measurements, not a gradient from a single sample. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared site. Preparation: Experimental. Type: Game rule. - Avoiding magnetic interference. Action: Stay below the threshold for deviation from the local background. Application: Stealth near prepared sources, contaminated areas, device protection. Limitations: You need to examine the playground; random metal objects can change the difficulty. Equipment: Surveyed or prepared area. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Game rule. - Magnetic seal failure. Action: A fixed telephone monitors the status of a magnet on a lid or object. Applications: Story alarm, trap, drawer opening detection. Limitations: This is a game prop; background OS restrictions and false positives interfere with security promises. Equipment: Magnetic props with a given geometry. Preparation: Needs setup. Type: Application script. ## Context and limits Author's working classification for designing games and interactions. Options can overlap and combine; the list is not a generally accepted standard or proven exhaustive list. Application examples are conditional unless a specific verifiable observation is indicated nearby. Sources support individual techniques and technical limitations. ## Connected materials ## Sources and provenance Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. - [Physics Toolbox Magnetometer](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/physics-toolbox-magnetometer/id1003749103?uo=4) (id: source-603978442e60360e) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors