Why You Shouldn't Blindly Trust the Compass on Your Phone
1 min read
Summary
Smartphone compasses are far from reliable and can often give wildly different and inaccurate results, due to their extreme sensitivity and interference from objects such as metal desks and phone accessories.
Even when using the same app at the same time and in the same location, two phones will often give different results, reflecting the inconsistency of the smartphone compass.
While compasses are okay for general orientation and GPS takes over when a user is moving, in certain situations, such as orienting yourself in an unfamiliar area, compasses can give misleading directions.
In critical situations, smartphone compasses are not reliable enough, and users should rely on traditional compasses, alongside using their smartphones as a backup.
