Navigation guides
Clear steps for taking a bearing, calibrating a phone compass, understanding north, finding Qibla, reading GPS coordinates, and checking speed. Each guide connects the explanation to a free tool you can use in your browser.
Start with how to use a compass if you are learning what degrees and bearings mean. If your phone shows an unstable direction, the calibration guide explains how to check for interference before relying on the reading. You can then try the live online compass on a compatible phone.
For a true-north bearing, read about magnetic north versus true north and use the magnetic declination calculator for your location. If your device has no compass sensor, the find north without a compass guide covers the sun and other practical checks.
All navigation guides
Where Is North? How to Find North From Where You Are
The quickest ways to find which way is north right now: your phone's compass, a map app, the sun, or the stars. Steps, plus how accurate each method is.
5 min read · updated October 2026
Compass Directions: The 16 Points and Their Degrees
Every compass direction with its bearing in degrees: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW and the in-between points, plus how to read them on a live compass.
6 min read · updated October 2026
How to use a compass: bearings, back-bearings, and staying on course
Take a bearing, walk it accurately, and get yourself back again. The complete beginner's method, written for both a baseplate compass and a phone.
8 min read · updated September 2026
Why your phone compass is wrong, and how to fix it
Phone compasses drift, stick, and read backwards. Here is what actually causes each failure and the calibration routine that fixes it in under a minute.
7 min read · updated September 2026
Magnetic north, true north, and grid north explained
Three different norths, and the corrections between them. What declination is, why it moves, and when the difference actually matters.
7 min read · updated September 2026
Five reliable ways to find north without a compass
Shadow sticks, analogue watches, Polaris, the Southern Cross, and the crescent moon, with the accuracy you can realistically expect from each.
8 min read · updated September 2026
How to find the Qibla direction without a compass
Use coordinates, a map, the sun, or a known local reference to face the Qibla when your phone has no working compass sensor.
7 min read · updated September 2026
How to find your GPS coordinates on any phone
Find latitude, longitude, altitude, and accuracy in a mobile browser, then copy the coordinate format your map or form needs.
6 min read · updated September 2026
Magnetic vs. true north for Qibla direction
Choose the correct Qibla bearing for a phone compass, baseplate compass, map, satellite image, or building plan.
6 min read · updated September 2026
How accurate is a phone speedometer?
Understand GPS speed, low-speed drift, position accuracy, update intervals, and when a browser speedometer is suitable.
7 min read · updated September 2026