Compass
Find magnetic north with your phone's sensors. The needle, the heading in degrees, and the nearest of the 16 compass points update live, right in your browser.
How to use the compass
- Open this page on your phone and hold it with the top edge pointing where you look.
- On iPhone and iPad, tap Start and choose Allow when Safari asks for access. On Android and other browsers the compass starts by itself.
- If the numbers jump around, sweep the phone in a figure-8 motion and step away from metal. That recalibrates the magnetometer.
- Turn slowly and watch the needle point at magnetic north while the readout shows your heading and compass point.
Compass questions
Does my device have the sensor this needs?
The compass reads a magnetometer. Nearly every phone sold in the last decade has one, so it works on most Androids and iPhones. Most desktops and laptops have no magnetometer, so the compass usually cannot run there.
How accurate is it?
Accuracy depends on calibration and your surroundings. A phone that has been sitting on a desk can be off by tens of degrees until you recalibrate; sweeping it in a figure-8 motion fixes that. Nearby metal, magnets, and magnetic phone cases pull the reading off by a lot.
Why does my iPhone ask for permission?
Since iOS 13, Safari blocks motion and orientation sensors until you grant access. The Start button triggers that prompt. Choose Allow and the compass starts; the permission is remembered per site.
Does the compass use GPS?
No. It reads your device's magnetometer, which senses magnetic north directly. That is why it works offline and in airplane mode, and why it shows magnetic rather than true north.
Is my sensor data or location uploaded?
No. The compass runs entirely in your browser. Readings are drawn on your screen and never sent to any server.