Near-infrared (NIR) phosphors have garnered notable attention for their extensive applications in anti-counterfeiting, optical imaging, non-invasive medical diagnosis and detection. Nevertheless, the quest for NIR phosphors with outstanding detection and sensing capabilities remains a challenge. In this study, we have successfully prepared Ga1.6Mg0.2Ge0.2O3:Cr3+,Yb3+ NIR phosphors by codoping and substitutation strategies. When incorporated into polydimethylsiloxane films, these phosphors demonstrated a direct correlation between luminescence intensity ratio and applied stress under 450 nm excitation. Moreover, variations in luminescence spectra occurred with different compositions and concentrations of liquids coated on the film, facilitating both force measurement and composition analysis. Furthermore, a NIR phosphor-converted light-emitting diode (pc-LED) was fabricated by integrating phosphor with a blue LED chip, exhibiting excellent performance. Utilizing the prepared NIR pc-LED as a light source, we facilitated non-destructive imaging, night vision, and anti-counterfeiting applications with an infrared camera. These findings suggest that the synthesized NIR phosphors possess hold promise for diverse detection and sensing applications.