What is the effect of cases with magnets on the iPad compass?

[a.m]

I really like Yoobao case, and similar cases,, but I am afraid of the magnet thing, I read some reviews about it can ‎affect the compass and other say no it will not affect, ‎

Please, Can some one test this with his v2 Yoobao case?, and tell us is it affected or not?

Thanks

 

[sracer]

I know that the magnet on the case for my G1 phone interfered with the compass. I discovered it soon enough to not cause permanent damage. I'm not taking any chances with my iPad.

 

[iFerd]

How could a magnet NOT affect the compass? After all, what a compass does is respond to a magnetic field. I don't know if a magnet on a case would damage the compass in an iPad, but it surely has to render it pretty much useless.

 

[MikeWill19]

I really like Yoobao case, and similar cases,, but I am afraid of the magnet thing, I read some reviews about it can ‎affect the compass and other say no it will not affect, ‎

Please, Can some one test this with his v2 Yoobao case?, and tell us is it affected or not?

Thanks

I ordered a v2 yesterday so if no one responds, I'll let you know when mine comes in

 

[a.m]

may be the compass location is far from the case magnet so it might not affect it , i am just assuming, may be i am wrong!, that is why i need some one to test it...

I ordered a v2 yesterday so if no one responds, I'll let you know when mine comes in

Thanks MikeWill19, waiting your test result ....

 

[TheMacBookPro]

I tried the MagnetMeter app on my iPad which is in a magnetic case (flip style, not the Yoobao). The two magnets are located at the top left and bottom left of the device. The compass seems to turn just fine and seems to be accurate when compared to a normal compass I have.

Google Maps prompts me to swing the iPad in a figure eight but after doing so it seems to work fluidly.

It probably depends on the location of the magnet.

 

[wjlafrance]

Having a magnet anywhere near a compass is bad juju, but it shouldn't cause any damage.

A neat little trick if you have a magnetic name tag (the kind with a metal front plate and a backing with three round magnets), if you put it together upside down you can get the magnets to align north/south. Seems to works better if you've been drinking.

 

[atomicbatteries]

No interference what so ever with mine.

 

[MikeWill19]

It certain positions, it has affected the compass. Specifically when the end of flap is touching the iPad. But if you have the flap just hanging open, it doesn't effect it and takes a simple calibration

 

[SarahCatt]

GPS Compasses are not magnetic

The compass application in the iPhone and iPad are GPS based and use the GPS coordinates sent by satellite. As far as I know, there is no magnetic field sensor in either device (there is an accelerometer in both devices and also a proximity sensor in the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4 is supposed to have a gyro that senses motion in 3 dimensions) and thus is essentially unaffected by magnetic fields. I've never found that the compass app in my iPhone 3GS was ever very dependable and I stopped bothering with it. Since the Google Map navigation is much more useful, that's what I use.

I've even seen complaints to MarWare that the magnets in their EcoVue case were a problem for GPS. That makes absolutely no sense. All navigation compasses are NOT magnetic.

 

[marjen]

If it is anything like the iphones compass it is absolutely effected by magnets. Dont even get me started on magnetic cases and the iphone. I seriously went through 6, yes 6 iphone 3GSs last summer as I had numerous issues with the phone. Turns out after weeks of troubleshooting an apple genius looked at my case and thought the magnetic latch was causing all the issues. Sure enough it was. We launched the compass app and put it in the case and it went crazy. It was doing that the entire time the iphone was in the case and would kill the battery and cause majore signal issues. Through the case in the trash, and they gave me a replacement and zero issues since. I now steer far from cases with magnets.

 

[SarahCatt]

I'll do some homework...

I appreciate your input. I've had cases with magnets but I've never seen any effect from them on iPhones, iPad, or iPod.

Your report really has me curious as to what mechanism in the iPhone, et al, is responding to case magnets or any other magnetic field. It's definitely something I was not aware of, but I'm going to do some research because it seems very controversial.

I'll post what I find out.

 

[SarahCatt]

There is a magnetometer in the iPhone...I was wrong

Well, I was apparently wrong about the magnetic field sensing in the iPhone. This is an interesting link to how the "sensor suite" functions in concert in the iPhone:

http://answers.oreilly.com/topic/71...ors-work-in-concert-to-determine-orientation/

With the additional gyroscopic sensor in the iPhone 4, this thing is becoming very aware of complex motion. It's really amazing what it can now do.

My apologies for my incorrect assumption in my earlier email. I did my homework and it didn't take very long.

 

[tallyho]

Yoobao V2 case-effect of magnets?

I'm considering this case, but am still wondering about whether the magnetic closure will affect the compass on a iPad with 3G. Does anyone have this exact combination- if so, any interference to the compass?