3D Scanning on Android for Contractors: What Actually Works in 2026

If you've looked into 3D scanning for your job site, you've almost certainly hit the same wall: most apps require a LiDAR-equipped iPhone. That means iPhone 12 Pro or newer. Which means if your crew is on Android — or even on older iPhones — you're locked out.

This is a real problem for most field teams. Android phones are the majority of the global smartphone market. A lot of crews run mixed devices. And the iPhone Pro requirement isn't small print — it's a hard technical wall.

Here's what's actually available for Android contractors in 2026, and where Manifold fits in.

Why most 3D scanning apps don't work on Android

The most common construction scanning tools — MagicPlan, Polycam's floor plan mode, the iPhone Measure app — all rely on Apple's LiDAR sensor. LiDAR sends out infrared pulses and maps depth in real time. It's fast, accurate, and it's only in Apple's Pro lineup.

Android phones don't have LiDAR. Google's equivalent (the Tango platform) was discontinued in 2018, and while some Android phones have basic depth sensors, none have the kind of spatial mapping hardware that Apple's LiDAR provides.

So the standard advice is: want 3D scanning? Buy an iPhone Pro.

For a solo contractor, that's a $1,200 hardware decision just to access a software feature.

CompanyCam's 3D scanning and Android

CompanyCam is the most-used photo documentation tool in the trades. Their 3D measurement feature is genuinely useful — but it only works on LiDAR-equipped iPhones. Their own blog frames every 3D tool around the assumption that you own an iPhone Pro.

Android users on CompanyCam get: GPS-tagged photos, project organization, annotations, checklists. No 3D. No measurements. No floor plans.

If your crew runs Android, CompanyCam is a photo app. A useful one — but not a 3D scanning tool.

How Manifold's Orbit Measure works on any phone

Manifold takes a different approach. Instead of relying on on-device LiDAR hardware, Orbit Measure uses your phone's regular camera to capture a short video — typically 10 to 60 seconds — and uploads it to Manifold's servers, which process the footage and return a measurable 3D model of the space.

No LiDAR. No special hardware. Any iOS or Android phone with a decent camera.

The output is a 3D walkthrough of the space where you can take measurements remotely — accurate to within half an inch. It's not the same technology as LiDAR scanning, but for most field documentation use cases — recording site conditions, capturing dimensions for estimates, creating as-built records — the output is more than sufficient.

What Orbit Measure is good for on Android

• Recording conditions before and after work — walk through a space, capture a 60-second video, upload. You have a timestamped, measurable 3D record of that job.
• Remote measurements — need a dimension from a space you can't revisit? Open the 3D model and measure from your desk.
• Dispute protection — a 3D model is a lot harder to argue with than a flat photo. Scope creep, damage claims, post-job disputes — a model from before the work started is evidence.
• As-built documentation — for renovation, restoration, and HVAC work, capturing the existing conditions in 3D before you start is the kind of record that protects everyone.

What about the other Android 3D scanning options?

General-purpose 3D scanning apps like KIRI Engine, Polycam (photo mode), and Scaniverse do work on Android via photogrammetry. They're decent for scanning objects, architectural features, or exterior surfaces. But they're consumer tools — they don't integrate with job site workflows, checklists, client sharing, or field reporting. You'd need to run them alongside a separate documentation platform.

For a field team that wants 3D scanning, project photos, checklists, and client-shareable reports in a single app — there's nothing else doing this on Android in 2026.

Floor Plan Scan: the one thing that still requires iPhone Pro

Worth being clear: Manifold's Floor Plan Scan feature — which uses Apple's RoomPlan API to generate a structured 2D floor plan with labeled walls and dimensions — does require an iPhone 12 Pro or newer with LiDAR. That's a genuine hardware requirement that can't be worked around.

But Floor Plan Scan and Orbit Measure are separate tools for different use cases:

• Orbit Measure (any phone): a short video walk → measurable 3D model
• Floor Plan Scan (iPhone 12 Pro+ only): room scan → structured 2D floor plan

If you need a clean structured floor plan with labeled dimensions, you need the iPhone Pro. If you need a measurable 3D record of site conditions, you don't.

Bottom line for Android contractors

If your crew is on Android and you've been told 3D scanning isn't available to you — that's no longer accurate. Orbit Measure works on the Android phone already in your pocket. You don't need to replace your hardware to start capturing 3D documentation on your jobs.

Manifold's Photo+Scan plan is $24/user/month with no seat minimums. The free trial requires no credit card — you can try Orbit Measure on your own job site before you commit to anything.

Learn more about Orbit Measure or see how Manifold compares to CompanyCam for Android crews.