iPhone 7 compass issue

to calibrate your compass:

1. Go to Settings
2. Select Privacy
3. Select Location Services
4. Select System Services at the bottom of the list of apps in the Location Services
5. Turn your compass calibration on and off. NOTE: The native iPhone apps acts like compass and maps will work with the compass calibration off.

this Apple article on Calibrating Compass

My wife and I each bought a 7+ on the same day, set them up the same etc. Her compass stopped working. I did all of the usual things and finally a whole system reset on the phone. Mine worked fine. I'm not sure, but this might have been the issue: I bought her a case by a company called Mercury and it had magnets in it to hold it in place. I wonder if the magnets interfered with the compass and other features on her phone because she kept having issues that I didn't have. Just a thought.

As long as she has a case with magnets in it, she will have compass issues. Compasses are affected by magnets. Take the case off.

Maps does not use the compass it uses the GPS chipset in the iPhone. If it is incorrectly registering your location then something is either interfering with the connection with the satellites or something is wrong with your iPhone. Make a Genius Bar appointment (easiest way is to download and install the new Apple Support app) and have them check your phone.

I would try to calibrate the compass, if that doesn't work, put your iPhone into dfu mode, and clean restore you software via iTunes. Make sure you back up any important items before doing this.

If still a problem after this, make an appointment for the Genius Bar.

So you are saying that rather using the global positioning satellites to determine the precise location and direction of travel, Apple engineers instead decide to use the compass just to move the pointer? Why in the world would they do that?

If you notice the OP also said that there current position would also move and be inaccurate. That would have nothing to do with the compass.

What !! You don't like being told to make u turns every time you start mapping. I have been having the same issue you note. The annoying tendency to tell me todo 2 uturns if I start my route say as I leave a red light is what got me into the Genius Bar.

Specifically my issues:

@Multiple U-turns suggested one for starting out on a route

@Launching the compass and comparing to every other phone in the world my heading north is off (short) by 30°

@ while driving and following my route often the directions are off just slightly when there are multiple on-ramp and offramp's from the freeway, my previous iPhone 6 never had a single issue in the same area on the same freeway with the same offramp's and on ramps.

@ iPhone 7 plus 128gig black. New may 23, 2017, setup as new phone.

The Genius Bar person was a little stumped after running all of the diagnostics which passed fine. The only symptom I could reproduce at the counter with her was the Compass heading being off by 30° The Genius Bar person was a little stumped after running all of the diagnostics which passed fine. The only symptom I could reproduce at the counter with her was the Compass heading being off by 30°

I was given a suggestion to fully erase the phone and see if the problem persists. However at this point 3 geniuses were looking at the phone and interested in the problem. We started playing with the settings listed for location services that relate to compass y geniuses were looking at the phone and interested in the problem. We started playing with the settings listed for location services that relate to compass use

Launch the Compass held the phone flat and moved it in a figure 8 pattern.

Settings, privacy, location services: toggle it off / on.

Settings, privacy, location services , compass, toggle to never and back to when using the app.

Settings, privacy, location services, System services (way at the bottom), compass calibration.

It was when we did this last settings toggle that my heading on the compass self corrected.

Are use the map on the way home and it did not reproduce my original problem however my problem to like yours has been intermittent. Are use the map on the way home and it did not reproduce my original problem however my problem to like yours has been intermittent.

I also showed her this thread which underst I also showed her this message thread which she was not too interested in. I can appreciate the next step is to do a full Erase on my phone if the issue comes back.Settings, privacy, location services

Oh and by the way the compass is used during the mapping, it helps provide accuracy of heading which most of the mapping programs use it in direction tracking and accuracy of location. Sure the GPS is used for the high-level but the tracking data from the Compass is used for heading auxiliary information to the mapping, that's why one of the symptoms when you have a Compass problem is a glitchy map too

iPhone 7 Plus 128GB Jet Black with up to date versions of iOS 10 then iOS 11, compass points to anything other than North (true or magnetic), can 90º, 120º or 180º error.

Have tried:

• Moving it in a figure 8 pattern.

• Settings, privacy, location services toggled off / on.

• Settings, privacy, location services, compass, toggled to never and back to when using the app.

• Settings, privacy, location services, System services, compass calibration toggled off/on.

• Reset location and privacy.

• No sources of magnetism nearby.

• Error results whether indoors or outdoors.

• Error reflected in Apple Maps and Google Maps.

I likewise have had the same issue, and followed all of the same directions to correct. I finally got it corrected by tapping the + on the compass and doing many figure 8 motions. Now compass reads correctly.

Good luck

It uses the compass to make the pointer point in the right direction

Gps is used to get location.

Compass is used to get heading (gps can not obtain heading, it can only obtain track)

My Garmin GPS did not have a compass. The positioning satellites can determine a heading. And back to the OP: it is losing their location that has nothing to do with the compass.

Nope, GPS can only determine track (line moved across the ground).

It can not determine heading. Think if you're walking north sideways but looking west. Your track is north but your heading is west.

Best answer!