iPhone 5S Compass Asks To Calibrate Everytime

KRB24 said:

I have iOS 7.04 installed on my iPhone 5S. Every time I try to use the Compass app, it asks me to calibrate. Why is this happening? Is there a way to fix this?

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It's been that way since iOS 7.00 on every iPhone.

FSMBP said:

It's been that way since iOS 7.00 on every iPhone.

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And, may I add, it's really annoying!

It's normal.

The "compass" in your phone is not a real compass because, obviously, it doesn't have a rotating magnetic needle which is always ready to work. Instead, your phone use a magnetometer, a type of sensor who works by analyzing the variations of the magnetic field. That's why you have to make the 8 loop move, to allow the sensor to measure the magnetic field in a 720 degrees space. Sometimes, the environmental interferences are too big and the sensor loose this calibration, and the factors could be anything: metal frame of your building, your car, local magnetic anomalies and so on. Bottomline: you have to deal with it.

KRB24 said:

How come this wasn't a problem before iOS 7 and 5S then?

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This. iOS7 prompts for this ridiculous move (just look at yourself doing it) much more than iOS6.

If the compass is flicked closed it will ask for a recalibration. Otherwise not.