Does anyone else have this issue? My compass is almost unusable because it almost ALWAYS says it has interference no matter where I am.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iP4 Compass interference?
- Thread starter lionheartednyhc
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I've tested the compass in the Google Maps app a couple of times while in a car, and it's usually constantly telling me there is interference and to reset it by moving the phone in the ∞ motion. But after I do this it will usually prompt me to do it again.
It's either this, or the phone will tell me I'm facing 90 degrees in another direction.
It's either this, or the phone will tell me I'm facing 90 degrees in another direction.
Uh. no. It worked on the 3GS. My issue is that on the 4, it ALWAYS has interference. Not just when Im near a computer or in a car.
happens ALL the time....but it's not a big deal. follow the on-screen instructions to fix it (move the phone in a figure 8).
when i open the compass, i just re-orient it right away....each and every time...by moving the phone in a figure-8 about 10 times. works fine after that.
Probably not working in the car because the car is a large iron body producing a magnetic field that's greater than the earth's. Magnetometers are very sensitive to magnetic field and utilizing them to create a proper digital compass in non-ideal conditions is difficult.
Thus the problems you guys are facing.
Thus the problems you guys are facing.
Really? Here in the US, most car bodies are made from steel sheet metal. What are they using in the UK these days? Doped linen like the old Sopwith Camel biplanes?
As an engineering physics student, I don't think you're right. First of all, any magnetic field the metal from the car's body produces would never be greater than the earth's magnetic field. It's the proximity of the two things that make the difference. Just so you know, the metal on the body of the car doesn't produce a magnetic field and it's certainly not an electromagnet. It's more the interference from the car's stereo and dashboard that's causing the compass to act up.
You clearly have no idea what would happen to the planet if this was even remotely true.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8A306 Safari/6531.22.7)
LOL
I'm thinking he meant that from the phone's perspective, it just seems that way.
Interstella5555 said:
LOL
I'm thinking he meant that from the phone's perspective, it just seems that way.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8A306 Safari/6531.22.7)
Isn't it ironic how in the old days, we neede car stereos to be shielded from a phone's interference, now we need stereos to be shielded from causing interference.
Bandolier said:
Isn't it ironic how in the old days, we neede car stereos to be shielded from a phone's interference, now we need stereos to be shielded from causing interference.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8A306 Safari/6531.22.7)
The compass works so so in our VW Passat. It's a little off center but not to crazy.
However, in our Toyota Prius, the compass is useless. Moving, stopped, figure 8's etc. The compass is far more unreliable on that car. The GPS seems to be less accurate as well. I assume it's from all of the field disturbance from the electric motor. Not sure though.
The compass works so so in our VW Passat. It's a little off center but not to crazy.
However, in our Toyota Prius, the compass is useless. Moving, stopped, figure 8's etc. The compass is far more unreliable on that car. The GPS seems to be less accurate as well. I assume it's from all of the field disturbance from the electric motor. Not sure though.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8A306 Safari/6531.22.7)
During the few times that I have used it, I always found it to be accurate. Got my exact location each time.
During the few times that I have used it, I always found it to be accurate. Got my exact location each time.
I have the same issue with the iPad when I use it with Google Maps in the car FWIW.
I haven't tried it with my iPhone 4 yet.
I haven't tried it with my iPhone 4 yet.
Here's an Apple support article about the compass:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2767
As they point out, if you want to use it in a car, then you need to mount it in a static location and leave it alone while it figures out its own calibration.
(I once had my built-in Jeep electronic compass get confused and it asked to be calibrated. Had to dig out the manual: you had to find a parking lot and drive around in a circle a few times until it figured it out.)
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2767
As they point out, if you want to use it in a car, then you need to mount it in a static location and leave it alone while it figures out its own calibration.
(I once had my built-in Jeep electronic compass get confused and it asked to be calibrated. Had to dig out the manual: you had to find a parking lot and drive around in a circle a few times until it figured it out.)