The main difference between an accelerometer and a gyroscope is that the accelerometer detects acceleration of movement, while the gyroscope measures angular velocity. An accelerometer measures the linear acceleration of movement, which is a change in velocity or speed—a gyroscope measures angular velocity, which is a change in orientation around a particular axis. Both Android accelerometers and Android gyroscopes are used in various Android apps, for example, when playing games or calibrating the Android device if it’s tilting in space.