Today smartphones are not only telephones for calls and messages: they can be used like orientation devices. A helpful utility for life — a digital compass — appeared in Apple smartphones a long time ago, even with the release of the third-generation iPhone. The basic principles of the application functioning in all iOS are that the exact algorithm of actions in the program is suitable for all existing and currently used iPhone models.
Apple developers have created an accurate iPhone compass for their mobile devices. This application visually depicts a precise compass and has all its functions, allowing the user to navigate the terrain, correctly determine directions, and not get lost.
The compass shows directions and geographic information about your location. You can use different modes — when the compass shows magnetic north or geographic.
It is important to remember that, of course, the electronic compass in the iPhone cannot fully replace an actual device since oscillating magnetic fields in the phone or headphones can affect its readings. Therefore, there is an error in the readings, and you can rely on the compass to determine any common cases in orienteering and not as a professional instrument.
How to set up and calibrate the Compass app on iPhone
The compass is a «default» application, that is, the standard one loaded on the device during its production, and it is located on the main screen. Before you start using it, you need to set up the compass app iPhone — build a calibration:
- Click on the application and open it.
- Now you need to turn the iPhone in the air, making a circle, until the circular scale turns all white from a translucent one. In older versions of iOS, the device asks to draw an infinity sign in the air using the iPhone for calibration.
- When the manual calibration is complete, the device will display magnetic north. In the iPhone Settings, you can also build the display of the geographical north so that the compass is guided by it, go to Settings, then scroll down to the Compass menu, and set the slider opposite True North to the active position.
- Look at the Compass screen. Here you can see a thick white strip — it indicates the direction at the moment. The degrees of direction are displayed in large numbers. For example, it is 90 degrees east. The directions of latitude and longitude are shown below. Using the GPS navigator in the iPhone, the application determines the terrain and altitude.
The cardinal points are displayed on the screen in capital letters. If you need to determine where the north is — turn the compass until the red arrow of the north (letters N) coincides with the thick white line.
A handy feature of the Compass is that you can set directions to it. When the user wants to set a particular direction to follow the route, move the iPhone in this direction and click on the device’s display, the iPhone will remember this direction and inform you if you forget and turn the wrong way! To cancel these heading reminders, tap the show again, and the route will be canceled.
How to use the Compass on iPhone
One convenient application on the iPhone is Compass, which can determine where the azimuth and north side of the horizon are. It is the determination of the azimuth that allows you to designate the correct direction of movement for yourself and get to your destination.
To correctly determine this indicator, it is necessary not only to download the above application to the gadget but also to perform several sequential actions:
- Put the gadget on a map of the area.
- The right part should be located so that it connects two settlements, from where and where you need to get.
- Rotate the area map so that the arrow pointing north is parallel to the north-south line.
- At the bottom of the smartphone screen, you can find the indicator of the detected azimuth.
How to switch to true north in the Compass app for iPhone
It is effortless to choose whether you want to use True North or Magnetic North when navigating with your iPhone if you are know-how. Here’s how to enable it:
- Enter the compass on iPhone app from the home screen.
- Select Compass.
- Click the radio button next to Use true north.
- The barricade should be perfectly level as the compass app on your iPhone is a little tricky to work with.
If you tilt your phone so that the screen is parallel to your face, you get a vertical level. If you hold your iPhone in the palm of your hand, you should see white bubbles around the black number — the horizontal level.
How to use the level in the Compass app on iPhone
The standard Compass app on your iPhone can help you find the right direction, and if third-party navigation apps are not available, the compass app for iPhone does help out. But the most important thing is to use it correctly.
To determine the horizontal level, you need to follow these steps:
- Your iPhone should be on the surface of the object you are trying to align.
- Until you reach 0 degrees and the screen turns green, tilt your iPhone in all directions.
- You can press once to make the black screen turn red, and it will stay that way until your iPhone is aligned, at which point it turns green.
To adjust the vertical level, you should do the following:
- The object you are trying to align vertically is pushing your iPhone against it.
- Until you reach 0 degrees and the bottom half of the screen turns green, tilt your iPhone in all directions.
- If you want to take another measurement of this angle then, touch the level once. You will then see red when you stray from the angle you were at. It can help you measure 90 and 45-degree angles.
Conclusion
The compass feature is helpful in navigation applications such as Google Maps. Based on the compass app sensor data, Google Maps will show an arrow icon at your location, the direction of the arrow will be the same as the direction of your phone.
The built-in compass on the iPhone is handy in many ways, and it is essential to know how to use the compass on iPhone because it will make it easier for you to identify yourself.
It will help you see directions and figure out where you are even without an internet connection, so don’t worry if you get lost in the jungle without a network. It will help you find your way out. Plus, it is used to navigate directions, and when you get out of your way, it will notify you as well. Besides, it is very convenient to use.
