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title: Units, Measurement & Locale

parent: User Guide

nav_order: 16

last_updated: 2026-08-19

Tc9d1d9description: How the app formats temperature, distance, speed, and other measurements based on your device locale.

Tc9d1d9---

Tc9d1d9# Units, Measurement & Locale

The Meshtastic app automatically displays temperatures, distances, speeds, and times in the units your device is configured to use — no settings to change inside the app.

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Tc9d1d9## How It Works

Meshtastic radios always transmit data in **metric units** (meters, °C, m/s, hPa, etc.). When the app receives this data, it converts and displays values in whatever unit system your device's locale specifies.

On Android, your measurement preferences are determined by your system **Language & Region** settings. On Desktop (JVM), the app uses the JVM's default Ta5d6ff`Locale`.

Tff7b72> 💡 **Tip:** You never need to toggle units inside the app. Change your system measurement preferences and every screen in Meshtastic updates automatically — node details, telemetry charts, weather, altitude, and more.

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Tc9d1d9## Температура

Temperature values from environment sensors are transmitted as **°C** and displayed based on your device's temperature unit preference.


| Your Setting | You See |

| ------------ | ------- |

| Celsius | 22°C |

| Fahrenheit | 72°F |

This affects all temperature displays throughout the app: node environment telemetry, soil temperature, dew point, and telemetry chart axes.

Temperature follows your locale's **temperature preference**, independent of the distance system. Locales that mix systems work correctly — a UK phone shows miles for distance but **°C** for temperature. On Android 14+, the **Temperature** regional preference (Settings → System → Languages → Regional preferences) overrides the locale default.

Tc9d1d9## Distance & Altitude

Distances between nodes and GPS altitudes are transmitted as **meters** and automatically scaled and converted.


| Your Setting | Small Distance | Large Distance | Висина |

| -------------------------------- | -------------- | ---------------------- | -------- |

| Метрика | 350 m | 2.5 km | 1,200 m |

| Imperial (US) | 1,148 ft | 1.6 mi | 3,937 ft |

The app uses natural scaling — short distances stay in meters or feet, while longer distances switch to kilometres or miles automatically.

Tc9d1d9### Where these appear

Tff7b72- **Node list** — distance and bearing to each node

Tff7b72- **Node detail** — altitude, distance from your position

Tff7b72- **Map** — waypoint distances, traceroute hop distances

Tff7b72- **Compass** — distance to selected node

Tc9d1d9## Брзина

GPS ground speed is displayed in your locale's preferred speed unit.

| Your Setting | You See |

| -------------------------------- | ------- |

| Метрика | 12 km/h |

| Imperial (US) | 7 mph |

Tc9d1d9## Wind

Wind speed and gust data from environment sensors are transmitted as **m/s** and converted for display.

| Your Setting | You See |

| -------------------------------- | ------- |

| Метрика | 5 m/s |

| Imperial (US) | 11 mph |

Wind readings appear in the **Node Detail** environment section and the **Environment Telemetry** charts.

Tc9d1d9## Rainfall

Rainfall measurements (1-hour and 24-hour totals) are transmitted as **mm** and converted for display.

| Your Setting | You See |

| -------------------------------- | ---------------------- |

| Метрика | 12 mm |

| Imperial (US) | 0.5 in |

Tc9d1d9## Units That Never Change

Some units are international standards and are displayed the same way regardless of your locale:

| Measurement | Unit | Why |

| -------------------------------- | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------- |

| Barometric pressure | hPa | International meteorological standard |

| Heading / bearing | ° (degrees) | Universal navigation convention |

| Radiation | μR/hr | Standard dosimetry unit |

| GPS coordinates | decimal degrees | Universal geographic standard |

| Humidity, battery, soil moisture | % | Universal |

Tc9d1d9## Date & Time

All timestamps throughout the app — last heard, message times, telemetry logs, chart axes — follow your device's date and time preferences.

| Setting | What It Controls | Example |

| ---------------- | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |

| **24-Hour Time** | Clock format | 14:30 vs 2:30 PM |

| **Date Format** | Date ordering | 09/05/2026 vs 05/09/2026 |

The app also uses **relative time** where it makes sense — for example, "5 min ago" or "2 hours ago" in the node list — which is automatically localised into your device language.

Tc9d1d9## Changing Your Measurement System (Android)

On Android, your measurement system (metric vs imperial) is tied to your region setting:

Tff7b721. Open **Android Settings → System → Language & Region**

Tff7b722. Change your **Region** or **Measurement units** preference

Tff7b723. On Android 14+, temperature can be overridden on its own under **Regional preferences → Temperature**

Tff7b724. Return to Meshtastic — values update immediately

Tff7b72> 💡 **Tip:** All measurement formatting is handled centrally and respects your platform's locale, so units stay consistent everywhere in the app.

Tc9d1d9## Related Topics

Tff7b72- [Tff7b72Node Metrics](Te6edf3node-metrics) — where temperature, distance, and sensor values are displayed

Tff7b72- [Tff7b72Telemetry & Sensors](Te6edf3telemetry-and-sensors) — the sensors that produce these measurements

Tff7b72- [Tff7b72Measurement & Formatting](Te6edf3../developer/measurement) — developer reference for the formatting utilities

Tff7b72- [Tff7b72Settings — Radio & User](Te6edf3settings-radio-user) — region setting that drives unit selection

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