Yuzool

Compass online

Your heading in degrees and as a direction. Open it on a phone: computers have no compass.

0°NorthMagnetic north
Hold it flat, away from metalMagnets, cases with clasps, laptops and steel tables pull the needle. If it looks wrong, wave the phone in a figure of 8 a few times.

About the online compass

This compass reads your phone's magnetometer and shows the direction you are facing as a heading in degrees (0° north, 90° east) and as a direction such as South-west. Lock holds the reading so you can note it down.

It works on phones and tablets whose browser shares a compass heading: Safari on iPhone and iPad, and Chrome on most Android phones. Laptops and desktop computers have no compass, so on a computer this page can only explain that.

On a computer: laptops and desktops have no compass, so the Compass tab says "No compass here". Open this page on your phone. The ruler and protractor work on a computer.

How to use it

  1. Open this page on your phone. On an iPhone, tap Allow for motion access.
  2. Hold the phone flat, away from magnets, metal tables, laptops and phone cases with clasps.
  3. Point the top of the phone where you want a bearing and read the heading.
  4. If the reading looks wrong, wave the phone in a figure of 8 a few times to recalibrate its sensor.

Good for

  • Finding which way a garden, balcony or window faces for sun
  • Pointing a satellite dish or an aerial roughly the right way
  • Lining up a prayer direction or a feng shui layout
  • Checking a direction on a walk alongside a map

Magnetic north and true north

A compass points to magnetic north, which is a few degrees away from true (map) north in most places. The difference is the magnetic declination. Tap Magnetic to switch to true north, and set your local declination in Settings: you can look it up from your national mapping agency or NOAA's declination calculator.

Questions

Does the online compass work on a laptop?

No. Laptops and desktop computers have no magnetometer, so there is no heading for a web page to read. Open the page on a phone or tablet.

Why is my phone compass wrong?

Nearby metal and magnets bend the reading: steel tables, cars, speakers, laptops and magnetic phone cases. Move away from them and wave the phone in a figure of 8 to recalibrate it.

Is it accurate enough for hiking?

It is fine for a rough direction. For navigation where it matters, carry a proper baseplate compass and a map: a phone can lose battery or be thrown off by metal nearby.

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