Sound level meter for Android

DecibelDock's main meter shows a live approximate sound level on a performance gauge, with session min, average, max and peak hold. It is designed to be readable, not to pretend your phone is a certified instrument.

What you see

The home screen opens on the live meter. A large approximate dB number sits on the dial, with a short live frequency line underneath when a clear tone is present. Session chips show minimum, average and maximum since you reset. Peak hold can creep back or hold for a set time, and a soft ghost marker can show the recent peak without crowding the dial.

Weighting buttons are labelled in plain language: Human Ear (A), Full Bass (C) and Raw (Z). A short explanation appears when you change weighting. Response can be Fast or Slow. None of these labels turn a phone into a certified Class 1 or Class 2 meter.

Meter styles and themes

Seven meter styles are separate from six color themes. Styles include Classic Dial, Half-moon VU, Bar Ladder, Linear Strip, Big Digital, Horseshoe and Radar Ring. Themes include Performance Gauge (the default), Workshop, Studio Monitor, Test Bench, Redline and Cobalt. Each tool can keep its own style.

Performance Gauge uses a dark instrument surround with a cream dial face and a red needle — the look DecibelDock is built around.

Mic limits and honesty

Most phone microphones overload well before a laboratory meter would. The scale tops out around 120 dB because that is near where many phone mics clip. DecibelDock warns when the mic is overloaded so you know a reading near the top of the scale may be flattened or wrong. Treat those readings as "very loud," not as a hard absolute number.

A user calibration offset can help match a reference meter in one condition. It does not certify the phone across levels or frequencies.

What stays free

The basic live meter is free forever after the preview period. Advanced tools have a two-week preview with simple daily use counts, then need the one-time Pro unlock — or you can keep one advanced tool free for another month when the preview ends.