Online compass.
Find north fast.

No. Magnetic heading uses orientation sensors, not GPS. Coordinates are a separate optional action with their own browser permission.

Enable the compass, hold your phone flat with the top edge facing forward, and turn slowly. The direction label shows N and the bearing approaches 0° or 360° when the top of your phone points north.

Turn with the phone held flat until the display reads E and the bearing is close to 90°. Check that the heading changes smoothly as you turn.

Move away from magnets, speakers, metal furniture, vehicles, and magnetic phone cases. Calibrate with a slow figure-eight, hold the phone steady, and compare again.

The MVP reports magnetic north. True north requires location plus a maintained magnetic-declination model, so it is not claimed without that correction.

Most desktops and laptops do not contain a magnetometer. Use a modern phone or sensor-equipped tablet for a live north-referenced heading.

No application code sends or stores compass headings or coordinates. Values exist in memory for the current tab. Standard hosting request logs are covered on the Privacy page.

No. Browser compass accuracy depends on hardware and surroundings. Use proper navigation equipment and verified maps for safety-critical decisions.

A real online compass reads the magnetic sensor inside your phone through the browser. The page listens for device orientation data, which reports the angle between the top of the phone and magnetic north. That value becomes a heading from 0° to 359°, and the display turns it into a rotating compass rose plus a plain direction such as north or southeast. The result comes from your hardware, not from an animation or a guessed number.

The common reasons are a page that is not served over HTTPS, a browser that never received Motion & Orientation permission, or a device with no magnetometer. Most laptops and desktop computers do not have that sensor, so a live heading will not start there. Nearby magnets, metal furniture, or an uncalibrated sensor can also make the reading freeze or jump. If the permission prompt does not appear, tap the enable button again, since some browsers only show it after a direct tap.

Motion and orientation data reveals which way your phone is pointing, so some browsers treat it as sensitive. Safari on iPhone and iPad will not send that data to a page until you allow it after a tap. The permission covers the sensor reading only. It is separate from location, which this compass leaves off unless you choose to request coordinates.

Tap the enable button again, because the permission prompt only opens after a direct tap. If nothing appears, the browser has likely remembered an earlier denial. On an iPhone or iPad, open the page settings in Safari and set Motion & Orientation Access to Allow or Ask, then reload. Also confirm the page is loaded over HTTPS and that your phone actually has a magnetometer.

No. Most modern smartphones include a magnetometer, but it is not universal, and some budget or older models leave it out. Without that sensor the phone cannot measure magnetic north, so no website can show a live compass heading. A gyroscope alone can detect rotation but not which way is north.

Step away from magnets, metal, and electronics, then hold the phone flat and trace a slow figure-eight in the air a few times. That motion helps the magnetometer correct its sense of the local magnetic field. Compare the result against a direction you trust, and repeat the movement whenever the reading starts to drift or jump.

Yes. The magnetometer reacts to every magnetic field around it, not just the Earth’s. A magnetic phone case, a steel desk, a car body, speakers, or power cables can bend the reading enough to make north appear in the wrong place. Move a few feet away from those sources and check again before you trust the heading.

Only what you ask for. If you tap Get Coordinates and allow location access, the page shows your latitude, longitude, browser-reported accuracy, and altitude when the device provides it. The compass heading itself does not need location, and the coordinates stay in the current tab rather than being stored or sent.

A browser compass is only as accurate as your phone’s sensor and the space around you. With a calibrated magnetometer, held flat and clear of interference, it can reliably point you toward a cardinal direction. It reads magnetic north rather than true north, and the two can differ by a noticeable amount depending on where you are. Treat it as a handy everyday tool, not a navigation instrument for safety-critical decisions.

Partly. Once the page has loaded, the live heading comes from your phone’s sensor, so it keeps updating without an internet connection. The page itself is delivered over the web, though, and this version is not a downloadable app. If you close the tab with no connection, you cannot reload it until you are back online.