Check a direction quickly on a phone
Standing at a junction, confirm the rough bearing and read the angle and the eight-point name.
Loading…
Guide
The compass reads the device orientation sensor directly. On iOS it prefers webkitCompassHeading, and elsewhere it converts with 360 - alpha where that is available; a device with no orientation sensor falls back to a simulated slider mode.
Updated 2026-09-271 min read
If the device only provides a non-absolute alpha, the page says plainly that the heading is “relative” rather than passing it off as a reliable magnetic bearing.
compassAccuracy > 30°.Standing at a junction, confirm the rough bearing and read the angle and the eight-point name.
Turn the device to different angles and watch the reading follow, which suits a classroom or a science demo.
When accuracy is poor, move away from magnets and metal and recalibrate with a figure-of-eight motion as prompted.
Because the current device or browser provides no usable orientation sensor data.
The orientation readings are used only in the local page and nothing is uploaded; no location data is read.
Updated 2026-09-27
A compass driven by your phone's orientation sensor, with heading and calibration tips