I was at dinner with friends. Three of us had iPhones. When using the compass app, all three showed a different direction (varied by 29*) and the elevation was off by 30 feet. All three phones were laying side by side and pointing the same way. GPS the same. Can anyone explain?
iPhone 11, iOS 14
Hi 1place3phones,
Thanks for posting. As we understand it, you found different results in the Compass app on three different iOS devices. That's definitely good to look into, and we'd like to share some helpful information.
Without having all three devices available to test and compare results, it may be difficult to say exactly what happened in this scenario. This link offers one detail that might be helpful: Use the compass on iPhone
"Important: The accuracy of the compass can be affected by magnetic or environmental interference; even the magnets in the iPhone EarPods can cause a deviation. Use the digital compass only for basic navigation assistance. Don’t rely on it to determine precise location, proximity, distance, or direction."
If you found this happening again, testing without cases on the iOS devices would be a good start, as would making sure there is no magnetic interference.
You might also double-check two settings. Check Settings > Compass > True North, and Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Compass Calibration. Depending on how each of the three devices had those set, the results could vary.
Take care.
Hi 1place3phones,
Thanks for posting. As we understand it, you found different results in the Compass app on three different iOS devices. That's definitely good to look into, and we'd like to share some helpful information.
Without having all three devices available to test and compare results, it may be difficult to say exactly what happened in this scenario. This link offers one detail that might be helpful: Use the compass on iPhone
"Important: The accuracy of the compass can be affected by magnetic or environmental interference; even the magnets in the iPhone EarPods can cause a deviation. Use the digital compass only for basic navigation assistance. Don’t rely on it to determine precise location, proximity, distance, or direction."
If you found this happening again, testing without cases on the iOS devices would be a good start, as would making sure there is no magnetic interference.
You might also double-check two settings. Check Settings > Compass > True North, and Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Compass Calibration. Depending on how each of the three devices had those set, the results could vary.
Take care.
Thanks for the information. The phones were consistently not in sync, even when in different locations. My phone shows the altitude and direction to be consistent at different locations, even months apart. I don’t think magnetic interference is the issue. It might be settings. I can only verify with two phones now, but I will try.
Thanks
Elevation and compass
