How to use an Android phone as a compass

If you know your way around a smartphone, then you're surely aware of their versatility. There's a substantial number of every-day tools and devices a smartphone can replace, such as a camera, a radio, an alarm clock, a flashlight, a sound recorder... we can go on. The humble compass is also on that list, as you may or may not know. Inside your handset there is a tiny magnet spinning around an axis and pointing at the planet's north pole.



Okay, we lied. Compass functionality in phones and tablets is enabled by something a bit more sophisticated – a sensor called a magnetometer, which is used to measure the strength and direction of magnetic fields. By analyzing Earth's magnetic field, the sensor allows a phone to determine its orientation pretty accurately.



Does your Android phone have a magnetometer? Yup, chances are that it does as most Android devices do. Even if you have an old or a cheap phone, there's likely a magnetometer inside of it. However, there's one more thing you need before you can use an Android device as a compass – a compass application. Now, most Android handsets don't have one pre-loaded, and yours probably lacks one as well. But the Play Store is full of free compass applications, so you can just pick one and enjoy the great outdoors.