When using Google Maps on my HTC One and driving down a road, the direction of travel indicator on the Google Map (the pointer next to my location indicator) is never accurately aligned with the direction of car travel.
I believe that my compass may need to be calibrated but I cannot find any way to do so (figure of eight motion etc).
I have tried various compass apps and some offer the chance to calibrate if required (detected by the app) - none offer the chance to manually calibrate.
Any help would be much appreciated.
check out for metals near device, for instance my case contains a metal part that gets magnetized by the car mount, the compass never works with case on.. one other thing that might affect the magnetic sensor is the device temperature make sure it isn't hot when that happens. afaik you cannot calibrate this sensor as it's a magnet really so nothing to be done but maybe replace if defective..
one other app you can use to see how the sensor performs is the sky map or chart at night for instance to find a visible star or planet, that will tell you for sure if compass is OK.
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I have installed GPS Tuner 5.4f (2 week trial) on the Diamond and it works with built-in GPS, so far.
But the Diamond allways shows focused to north. On compass screen I can move and rotate the Diamond on all directions without any reaction.
So ist there a problem with GPS Tuner or can't the Diamond - a GPS handy - handle the compass?
Thx & regards,
Purzel
The compass is not moving because static navigation is enabled, so unless your moving at least 3mph the compass will not move. Same with any GPS navigation software.
At the moment nobody knows how to turn off static navigation, it's a really stupid feature.
Try driving or running then the compass will move
Radeon123 said:
Tso unless your moving at least 3mph the compass will not move.
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You are kidding me, right? *lol*
So I have to run around the trees in the wood next weekend to say my family where to go at next...
Regards,
Purzel
Radeon123 said:
The compass is not moving because static navigation is enabled, so unless your moving at least 3mph the compass will not move. Same with any GPS navigation software.
At the moment nobody knows how to turn off static navigation, it's a really stupid feature.
Try driving or running then the compass will move
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So there actually is a digital compass inside?
Edit: sorry, didn't know what static navigation means. Now I do. Unfortunate, because I really wished there was a digital compass inside .
How does the phone know which way it is pointing? You have to move so it can figure it out. GPS systems that point north when static have a built in electronic compass. These phones don't. You can see this when people set of following a gps arrow and they almost walk in a circle before they head off in the right direction.
By the way, Memory Map is an awsome bit of sofware for navigating using the phone. I use it as a back up to my paper map and compass whilst out and about.
How did you get the GPS to work, tried the auto search for the GPS device and GPS Tuner says that he can´t find any device. Manually set to COM4 no luck either.
You'll find that if you walk about five or so metres it will begin to register a speed and accurate heading... does in all my GPS apps. I use Pathaway and Fugawi for on foot navigation and it's a great alternative to paper map and compass.
Without an actual magnetic compass on board, there is no such thing as a GPS receiver capable of showing accurate heading without meaningful movement. The static navigation feature is really very useful as it stops the thing dancing all over the place when you're stood still... below this movement threshold, the small scale erratic nature of the outputs at or near rest are pretty much unusable.
I've read complaints of GPS and G-Sensors being out of whack, but didn't see anything on forum about compass calibration.
I noticed on my i9000 yesterday that while tracking myself on Google maps, that the compass should me pointing about 20 degrees to the right of the direction I was actually driving. In aviation, we call that crabbing, and it's normal based on wind, but not in a car.
I turned the direction my phone was pointing and the heading on the vehicle in the map started tracking properly. I guess my phone needs a little compass calibration.
Any idea where to this from? I'll dig around in the debug settings when I get some time, but hoping others might have found it already.
Thanks.
there are some free compass apps on android market that will display an actuall compass on your screen - and those will have a calibration tool you use when setting the compass up
No need for a special command.
Just turn the device 180 degrees and backwards two or three times in any program which uses the compass and it will be calibrated.
I'm a pilot too and I actually purchased a magnetic compass for my car and noticed the same thing. Haven't tested the phone's compass in my car though.
Are you forgetting some planes have Compass Deviation Cards to compensate for errors caused by the aircraft itself perhaps? Remember, cars have a significant amount of electronics, and a magnet in the alternator that can affect the direction of the compass (the magnetic flux created by the car is actually what triggers traffic light changes, so it probably isn't miniscule).
Btw, not sure crabbing is the correct term here (normally crabbing is isolated to wind I think). Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm still PPL).
Not sure about google maps, but I have noticed my hardware GPS (Navman's and that other rubbish which will be collectors items soon) actually use track, rather than heading.
distortedloop said:
I've read complaints of GPS and G-Sensors being out of whack, but didn't see anything on forum about compass calibration.
I noticed on my i9000 yesterday that while tracking myself on Google maps, that the compass should me pointing about 20 degrees to the right of the direction I was actually driving. In aviation, we call that crabbing, and it's normal based on wind, but not in a car.
I turned the direction my phone was pointing and the heading on the vehicle in the map started tracking properly. I guess my phone needs a little compass calibration.
Any idea where to this from? I'll dig around in the debug settings when I get some time, but hoping others might have found it already.
Thanks.
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Click to collapse
compass
I have a galaxy s and so does my daughter we both have a compass app from android market installed on our phones , both phones will not display the correct direction i have also tried a friends galaxy and his is exactly the same .
I have a xperia X10 and that displays correct directions with the same compass installed so i can only assume it is the phone at fault , i love the phone but this is annoying and i wonder if it is related to the gps problems this phone appears to have ?.
good old fashioned magnetic compasses don't work in my car, regardless of where i install them
it will always point EAST, very annoying, good thing it doesn't affect my GPS or my SGS i've yet to test the compass mode inside the car.
As i've taken it for granted no compass will work inside my car, as it has speakers every where and metals all around.
before there was such thing as a GPS, i used to be a good old scout and used maps + compasses to find my ways when driving in unknown streets
andrewluecke said:
I'm a pilot too and I actually purchased a magnetic compass for my car and noticed the same thing. Haven't tested the phone's compass in my car though.
Are you forgetting some planes have Compass Deviation Cards to compensate for errors caused by the aircraft itself perhaps? Remember, cars have a significant amount of electronics, and a magnet in the alternator that can affect the direction of the compass (the magnetic flux created by the car is actually what triggers traffic light changes, so it probably isn't miniscule).
Btw, not sure crabbing is the correct term here (normally crabbing is isolated to wind I think). Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm still PPL).
Not sure about google maps, but I have noticed my hardware GPS (Navman's and that other rubbish which will be collectors items soon) actually use track, rather than heading.
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andrewluecke said:
).
Btw, not sure crabbing is the correct term here (normally crabbing is isolated to wind I think). Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm still PPL)
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No, you're correct about crabbing...it's the term I learned for landing with a cross-wind and yawing into the wind to maintain your track to the runway. It's just what came to mind looking at the vehicle indicator and the roadway, it looked like a plane landing on a runway and that's what popped to mind.
Thanks to everyone else about the compass app in the market, I'll check it out.
Probably best to grab a real compass and compare to your phones one.. Then you'll know for sure.
But for GPS apps, track makes more sense because especially whilst driving, the phone has no way of knowing if it is pointed towards the front of your car.
(Btw, for non-pilots, when I say track, I refer to the direction you are actually going, rather than where you are pointed towards).
I'm a electronic engineer, A compass actually show where the magnetic field is more effective as North (and South) but what does make the differ is electronic compasses are more sensetive and may effected by a little change in magnetic field (for example holding a little ironic screw around it) so it may show wrong direction based on your country (and sometimes region). so the manufactors calibrate it on an avarage in order to make it working all around the world. but if it is not satisfying go to a service center they calibrate it for you!
(if you're geeky one you can do it on service menu yourself but it takes time to do a good calibration!)
mdh_heydari said:
I'm a electronic engineer, A compass actually show where the magnetic field is more effective as North (and South) but what does make the differ is electronic compasses are more sensetive and may effected by a little change in magnetic field (for example holding a little ironic screw around it) so it may show wrong direction based on your country (and sometimes region). so the manufactors calibrate it on an avarage in order to make it working all around the world. but if it is not satisfying go to a service center they calibrate it for you!
(if you're geeky one you can do it on service menu yourself but it takes time to do a good calibration!)
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HI, mdh_heydari
ok, but how to calibrate? even if it is time consuming and difficult. What is the procedure in SGS I9000?
sircm4x said:
HI, mdh_heydari
ok, but how to calibrate? even if it is time consuming and difficult. What is the procedure in SGS I9000?
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There are 2 ways, the best one is some little fixes in android kernel and the other one is making mods for famous navigation softwares like Google Maps.
Hi,
It really seems that the G1 has a digital compass, but I couldn't see it documented and doesn't seem to be part of the specifications.
However I tested it a few times with GPS Toolbox and it seems to accurate to be based on GPS (also because I think GPS one would actually be "heading" and only generated if moving).
Anyone has any thought ?
Nick
Of course the G1 has a compass. Yeah GPS doesn't know anything about orientation, only 3d position. Along with the accelerometers the phone can know it's exact position and oriention.
Fire up google maps and look, your position marker is a compass arrow. All it's search results etc all show orientation arrow also. Plus if you tap the "my location" circle icon a second time, maps itself goes into compass mode (as can street view). The compass is a base standard of android, just don't trust it if you have a charge cable plugged in
Thank you.
I had a look again at gsmarena and it says that it has a digital compass, which at the time the phone came out was not yet a standard feature (even if GPS was present)
I was SO sure that I had researched it some time ago and it didn't say anything about it .. my bad.
Thanks !
I've only now discovered that the issues I've been having with certain apps are because the One has no magnetic compass sensor, only a digital compass. Is there any way to enhance the compass accuracy or otherwise calibrate it?
I ask, because when playing Ingress, my orientation is never even close to correct. I have to manually adjust the screen (while driving, ACK!??!) if I want to follow along with the route I'm driving, and of course the arrow is never pointed in the right direction which can make deploying resonators a little more confusing.
I'm also starting to get into geocaching, and without a working compass app, I have to carry another phone or an actual compass along with me. So spur of the moment geocaching can only happen if I happen to have one at the time.
And of course I'm sure everyone's heard about Sky Maps not working properly either, which is just a bummer.
Bumperoonie, Surely someone out there has similar problems or the knowledge to tackle this... anybody?
Hey all,
I moved recently and now rely a lot on google maps (and other location apps) to go to places.
Whine the location of the device fave been spot on, I have an issue with positioning and vector... What I mean is the device reports direction with a 90-degree error. If I am on the crosswalk facing one of its directions, the phone shows me that I'm perpendicular to the crosswalk and when I move up or down the crosswalk, it shows me moving sideways... not sure how to explain it better...
If I'm in a car and moving, the dot moves correctly on the map but I'm being shown as moving sideways on that map...
After doing a Google search on the issue, it seems that other people are also having this problem.
I've tried recalibrating, using the live view to calibrate (which works for a moment and then breaks again) Also tried clearing the cache of google maps, (but other GPS apps are also affected)...
Does anyone know how to deal with this problem?
Try turning off improved accuracy or vice versa...
Clear system cache.
blackhawk said:
Try turning off improved accuracy or vice versa...
Clear system cache.
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All of this has been tried. even board replacements does not fix it...
it seems to be some kind of a software issue...
Screen rotation is set to manual or automatic? Try switching your settings.
Google Play System Update is up to date? Should at least be from 1st March 2022.
we have a crab in disguise among us... 'transformers~~ shell fish in deguise~~'
jokes aside, the GPS is known to be very unstable. I have the issue come and go... and from what I've heard it's due to signal disturbances.
You'll want to report the issue to Google if you are using Google Maps
Use common sense (or develop it) to navigate.
Constantly being led by a smartphone on the streets is a lousy and dangerous way to live.
Develop a mental picture with critical way points of where you are going and then concentrate on navigating the real world by memory. With practice it becomes 2nd nature.
If it's a complex navigation effort break it down into manageable blocks with start/end way points.
For the car a dedicated GPS is more practical and reliable, but you still need to use common sense for when it glitches... and it will.
GPS is just an aid to navigation... like a map.
Do you have a permanent magnet somewhere inside your phone case, or other source of magnetism that would confuse the on-board magnetic compass?
KingFatty said:
Do you have a permanent magnet somewhere inside your phone case, or other source of magnetism that would confuse the on-board magnetic compass?
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KingFatty came up with my initial thought. Might be some magnetic interference.
I do know the exact issue you are talking about though. I knew I was facing south (I have an actual compass) but my phone said I was facing east. But I solved it with a simple recalibration. I have to recalibrate at least weekly.
You say you have had board replacements to rule out a hardware issue but if it was a software issue then surely everyone would have it? I can confirm that right now, the orientation is correct on my phone. It could be a firmware issue for your specific device but this requires the manufacturer to fix it.
That leads me to think its some kind of outside interference like a magnet in a case.
richhaynes said:
KingFatty came up with my initial thought. Might be some magnetic interference.
I do know the exact issue you are talking about though. I knew I was facing south (I have an actual compass) but my phone said I was facing east. But I solved it with a simple recalibration. I have to recalibrate at least weekly.
You say you have had board replacements to rule out a hardware issue but if it was a software issue then surely everyone would have it? I can confirm that right now, the orientation is correct on my phone. It could be a firmware issue for your specific device but this requires the manufacturer to fix it.
That leads me to think its some kind of outside interference like a magnet in a case.
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Samsung's don't like magnets, truth
It may be the earth's magnetic field in your location. It isn't uniform.
It's actually began a cyclical pole shift which will take hundreds of year to complete. Magnetic anomalies with become more common as the reversal draws closer. I doubt the latter could be the cause but the former could.
I think magnets may indeed be the issue. My bag's phone pocket has a magnet on its latch so it might be the thing confusing the phone. The problem is that from more than 20 different phones I had over the years, the S21 Ultra is the first one to exhibit such side effects from magnets...
I use a car mount with wireless charger, and the mount itself creates a magnetic field that confuses the phone's compass so the phone re-calibrates the compass based on the navigation driving etc. When out of the charger, the phone is still interpreting the compass as though it's in the mount with the magnetic influence, so you just need to recalibrate the compass and it will fix the issue until next time it automatically recalibrates while under the influence of a magnetic field.
That's just how compasses work, they sense existing magnetic fields, and the closer a magnet is to the phone, the stronger the field. If only there was a way to tell the phone you are putting it next to a magnetic field so it knew not to recalibrate itself at that time.