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Calibration on iPhone 5s Compass and Level Appears Incorrect

Sodner said:
http://http://venturebeat.com/2013/...ed-up-and-so-are-the-games-that-rely-on-them/

How about now. Are we still complaining about nothing?

link about games
Click to expand...

lol.. i like how they didn't even bother to remove the phone case for their 'tests'..

im not saying the levels are accurate.. i really don't care personally if they are or arent as i'd never use the level as well as i don't think gameplay will be affected one bit if i sit a phone on a level table and the car turns left.. i mean, tilt it to the right 1/8" and it will go straight.. right?
it's just funny how inaccurate/uncontrolled all these 'tests' seem to be.
 
.macbookpro. said:
Microsoft Wouldn't include a compass or a level metre in the os.
Microsoft don't.
If Microsoft did, it would only work sometimes, and when it did it would only show the level in one orientation, and it would only go from -2 to +2.
Click to expand...

Microsoft would also fix your poor grammar if you used their software and hardware.
 
Apple store reps told me my phone was fine when I brought it in 2 days after launch, telling them my compass and level were off. Two of them proceeded to "test it" and then tell me it's fine. I gave them the "are you serious?" Look when they pointed the phone North and it almost reached West.

I left knowing it couldn't be replaced anyways due to stock shortages, but it's a relief to know in not the crazy one here.

When driving using the maps app and orientation on, it's sometimes off by upwards of 90° and I've reset, re-calibrated, and restored multiple times.
 
My compass works fine, but have seen some bad ones. My level is -4. Hope they figure this out.
 
Being one of the vocal consumers effected... glad to see this make front page.

I'm on my 3rd phone and it still doesn't show 0Degrees. Having owned 7 iPhones of every model, and 10 thousand $+ of Apple equipment in my studio I expect ANY product that comes from Apple to be perfectly engineered. This issue is obviously wide-spread, and it's obviously an engineering or manufacturing oversight.

This is the first time I've ever had a major problem with an item out of the box in over 15 years of Apple purchases.

Are people seriously defending this and saying it's not an issue?

How can purchasing an $850 device that doesn't work properly NOT be an issue?

It effects gaming, star-finding & any other apps that use the horizon feature, the level, the compass, the accelerometer, and possibly the parallax functions as well.

I don't care if you bought the 16GB "Cheap" model on 2-year contract and only spent $199... It's STILL A MAJOR ISSUE.

This just dumbfounds me how anybody could say otherwise, whether they use the feature or not.

99.9% there will be no recall. I'm hoping there will be an extended replacement clause with brand new re-engineered/re-spec models.

My head is telling me that there will be a simple software update that masks the malfunction, and app-makers are going to have to include calibration into their apps.
 
skybell said:
by this point in time, i know i really shouldn't be surprised by things like this anymore, but i just can't help it - is it really that much of a pain to use, oh i don't know, real, physical compasses and levels? :confused: I just find myself so often dumbfounded by these so-called "features" on electronic devices these days; they all kind of seem...incredibly non-essential.
Click to expand...

but the car goes slightly left in real racing 2!!!! We're doomed!!
 
I'm not one to complain, especially last year during, "scuff gate" and "antennae gate" or whatever.

I have Unlimited Flight Vegas that i play frequently and I consistently hold my right hand lower than my left just to fly straight. It's not a big deal in the big scheme of things but when Apple praises their, "user experience," - this totally contradicts that.

This is coming from a person with every generation of the iPhone.
 
My silver 32GB Verizon is off about 5 degrees too. I seriously hope Apple can fix this in a software update.

I am an avid Apple user and love their products. I have to think they will make this right somehow.
 
jrswizzle said:
No, it does.....set the 5S on the table and tap. It will zero out to whatever the table is at. Essentially, just take a level (like they do in this picture) - put your phone up to it and make it its level, then tap to set 0.

This isn't an issue, and honestly I'm surprised its a story on Macrumors.....unless I'm completely missing something.

The other side is that how do you know - if the level is user "settable" - that its inherently wrong? Doesn't mean something is wrong with the internal hardware.....
Click to expand...

You are missing something. Zeroing out the level does not calibrate the level. That is a temporary lock.
 
If any one person thinks that any phone's assessment of 'level' is appropriate, then that person's got what they need.

Comon sense is lacking everywhere these days...

----------
dampfnudel said:
Let's hope a software update can fix it. It would be a sad day if Apple had to recall millions of iPhones.:(
Click to expand...

Painful to read this post, really...

----------
sclawis300 said:
You are missing something. Zeroing out the level does not calibrate the level. That is a temporary lock.
Click to expand...

You seem to get this, of course you're correct. Most Folks think that because they have a 'smart phone' that would make them smart.
 
MastersMusic said:
Being one of the vocal consumers effected... glad to see this make front page.

I'm on my 3rd phone and it still doesn't show 0Degrees. Having owned 7 iPhones of every model, and 10 thousand $+ of Apple equipment in my studio I expect ANY product that comes from Apple to be perfectly engineered. This issue is obviously wide-spread, and it's obviously an engineering or manufacturing oversight.

This is the first time I've ever had a major problem with an item out of the box in over 15 years of Apple purchases.

Are people seriously defending this and saying it's not an issue?

How can purchasing an $850 device that doesn't work properly NOT be an issue?

It effects gaming, star-finding & any other apps that use the horizon feature, the level, the compass, the accelerometer, and possibly the parallax functions as well.

I don't care if you bought the 16GB "Cheap" model on 2-year contract and only spent $199... It's STILL A MAJOR ISSUE.

This just dumbfounds me how anybody could say otherwise, whether they use the feature or not.

99.9% there will be no recall. I'm hoping there will be an extended replacement clause with brand new re-engineered/re-spec models.

My head is telling me that there will be a simple software update that masks the malfunction, and app-makers are going to have to include calibration into their apps.
Click to expand...

thing is, apple isn't sitting around claiming how accurate their accelerometers are.. i don't even think they use it as a sales point..
you're expecting this thing to perform a certain way and expecting apple is supposed to deliver.. and since they haven't delivered up to your (somewhat nonsensical) standards, you're trying to claim faulty equipment?

maybe read a little about the technology first.

http://www.analog.com/library/analogdialogue/archives/43-05/accelerometer.html

i mean, for the accuracy you're 'requiring', do you realize the iphone is going to require a method for keeping the accelerometer at an optimized temperature.. is that something you want inside your phone in order to better a +/-5º tolerance? pretty sure most people would rather do without both the additional costs and size for such a thing.. get specialized equipment if you need utmost accuracy
 
i.mac said:
If any one person thinks that any phone's assessment of 'level' is appropriate, then that person's got what they need.

Comon sense is lacking everywhere these days...

----------



Painful to read this post, really...

----------



You seem to get this, of course you're correct. Most Folks think that because they have a 'smart phone' that would make them smart.
Click to expand...

Why? Because you believe it could never, ever happen? It's probably 99% a software issue, but you can't dismiss something outright just because it never happened before. Blind devotion to any brand can be painful to witness as well. Anyway, bring on 7.0.4 (probably too late for the fix to be included in 7.0.3).

Peace out.
 
I am surprised

darkfiber said:
We have been discussing this in the forums. Mine is definitely off by around 5 degrees.
Click to expand...

I am surprised that Macrumours has a twenty page discussions thread but it was Gizmodo which surfaced this error. How many more such issues are being discussed on Macrumours but not yet surfaced by others?
I am not accusing anybody of anything here though...
 
flat five said:
thing is, apple isn't sitting around claiming how accurate their accelerometers are.. i don't even think they use it as a sales point..
you're expecting this thing to perform a certain way and expecting apple is supposed to deliver.. and since they haven't delivered up to your (somewhat nonsensical) standards, you're trying to claim faulty equipment?

maybe read a little about the technology first.

http://www.analog.com/library/analogdialogue/archives/43-05/accelerometer.html

i mean, for the accuracy you're 'requiring', do you realize the iphone is going to require a method for keeping the accelerometer at an optimized temperature.. is that something you want inside your phone in order to better a +/-5º tolerance? pretty sure most people would rather do without both the additional costs and size for such a thing.. get specialized equipment if you need utmost accuracy
Click to expand...

You don't seem to understand here, lol. People don't give a flying **** if it is perfectly accurate, they just want it to work like apple claims it too. In prior years it has never been an issue, and there are hundreds of android handsets, some extremely cheap that have accurate components.
 
I have also noticed this on some apps that rely on the compass and it's relating parts. Starmap is off just a bit I find.

I'm sure there is a fast easy fix.

Sodner said:
Its a potential recall of "x" million phones type problem.
Click to expand...
Not saying you're not but what expertise do you have to make this statement? What knowledge do you have about thse A7 chip that most here on MR don't have? Not trying to be a jerk but that's a pretty bold statement to make.
 
Last edited:
MastersMusic said:
Being one of the vocal consumers effected... glad to see this make front page.

I'm on my 3rd phone and it still doesn't show 0Degrees. Having owned 7 iPhones of every model, and 10 thousand $+ of Apple equipment in my studio I expect ANY product that comes from Apple to be perfectly engineered. This issue is obviously wide-spread, and it's obviously an engineering or manufacturing oversight.

99.9% there will be no recall. I'm hoping there will be an extended replacement clause with brand new re-engineered/re-spec models.

My head is telling me that there will be a simple software update that masks the malfunction, and app-makers are going to have to include calibration into their apps.
Click to expand...

For what it's worth... Just returned from my local Genius Bar and got a replacement 32GB Space grey for AT&T. I brought it in for a sketchy TouchID but also mentioned the level being off by 4-degrees.

Genius proceeded to roll his eyes, sigh, and say that he was 95% sure that the replace phone would as well, and said that he was under the impression that it would be a software fix.

I don't think it's "bad engineering" or any oversight on Apple's part. Probably just a shoddy supplier that messed up the calibration on (an admittedly large) batch of M7 co-processors. Likely a bad calibration.

If I remember, the M7 takes all the raw output from the sensors and returns in to the A7 in some form of "simple" algorithm. It's entirely possible that the algorithm itself is simply calibrated improperly and returning bad values to the A7.

Anyways, sure enough, replacement phone is off 3-degrees. But hey, I do have TouchID back!
 
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