ManyCompass
Find which way you're facing — right in your phone's browser.
How to use the compass
- Tap Start compass. Browsers only share orientation data after a tap, and an iPhone shows one more prompt asking to allow motion access.
- Hold the phone flat, screen up, like a plate. The reading is the direction the top edge of the phone points.
- Turn your whole body, not just your wrist, until the heading you want is shown.
Reading the heading
A heading is an angle measured clockwise from north, from 0° round to 360°.
| Direction | Heading | Direction | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|
| North (N) | 0° / 360° | South (S) | 180° |
| North-east (NE) | 45° | South-west (SW) | 225° |
| East (E) | 90° | West (W) | 270° |
| South-east (SE) | 135° | North-west (NW) | 315° |
If the reading jumps or looks wrong
- Calibrate. Move the phone in a figure of eight a few times, turning it through all its axes. This lets the sensor separate the Earth's field from the phone's own magnetism.
- Move away from metal and magnets. Cars, steel tables, reinforced concrete, speakers, laptops and magnetic phone cases or mounts all pull the needle. A reading taken inside a car is rarely reliable.
- Take the case off if it has a magnetic clasp or a metal plate for a car mount.
- Check against something known. The sun is roughly east in the morning and west in the evening; a map of a straight road gives a better check.
Magnetic north and true north
A compass points to magnetic north, which is not the same place as the geographic North Pole that maps are drawn to. The angle between the two is called magnetic declination, and it depends on where you are and drifts slowly over the years. Across most of India it is under two degrees, which does not matter for everyday use. In places such as the north-west United States or New Zealand it is well over ten degrees, enough to put you off course on a long walk.
To convert, add an easterly declination to the magnetic heading and subtract a westerly one. With a declination of 15° east, a compass reading of 90° is a true bearing of 105°.
What people use it for
Finding which way a room, balcony or plot faces before renting or building; pointing a dish antenna or a solar panel; orienting a paper map; getting your bearings when you come out of a metro station. A laptop or desktop usually has no compass sensor, so open the page on a phone or tablet.
This compass reads your phone's built-in orientation sensor and shows the direction the top of your phone points — in degrees (0° = North) and as a compass direction. It works on most phones; laptops and desktops usually have no compass sensor.
Why does it need permission?
Browsers only share motion and orientation data after you tap a button. On iPhone you'll see an extra "Allow motion access" prompt.
Is this true north or magnetic north?
Phone sensors report magnetic north. For most everyday use the difference is small, but for precise navigation apply your local magnetic declination.
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