Phone sensor / Direction
Compass Online
A compass in your browser: your phone's heading to magnetic north, or to true north worked out from your location with the World Magnetic Model.
Compass Online: The phone's magnetometer finds magnetic north, and the heading is corrected for how the phone is tilted. True north, the direction of the North Pole on maps, differs from magnetic north by the declination, which the page works out for your position and today's date with the World Magnetic Model 2025, published by NOAA and the British Geological Survey. Held upright, the compass shows the way the camera faces. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- Everyday tools
- Runs
- In your browser
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Runs entirely in your browser
Magnetic declination
Magnetic north is where a compass needle points; it moves slowly over the years and differs from true north by an angle called declination, which ranges from nearly zero to more than 20 degrees depending on where you are. The World Magnetic Model, renewed every five years, predicts it; the current model is valid from 2025 to 2030.
To turn a heading into coordinates, or coordinates into another format, use the coordinate converter.
Getting a steady reading
Hold the phone flat and level, away from your laptop, the car, and magnetic phone mounts or wallets. If the heading drifts or disagrees with landmarks, move the phone in a slow figure of eight a few times to recalibrate it.
How to use it
- Press Start the compass; on iPhone, tap Allow when asked for motion access.
- Hold the phone flat, top pointing where you want to go, and read the heading.
- For true north, press True north and share your location; it is used only to work out the declination.
Privacy & limitations
The heading and your location stay in your browser; nothing is recorded or sent.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
Should I use magnetic or true north?
Use true north with maps and GPS coordinates, which are drawn to true north. A paper hiking compass shows magnetic north, so use magnetic north to compare with one.
Why is the heading wrong or jumping?
The magnetometer needs calibrating now and then: move the phone in a figure of eight. Magnets in cases and mounts, speakers, laptops, cars, and steel beams also pull it off by many degrees.
Can I rely on it for navigation?
Use it as a guide, not as safety equipment: phone compasses are usually within a few degrees, but can be far off near metal. Carry a real compass in the hills.
Free tool · runs in your browser · no account required