Al Qibla Finder
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Compass calibration and troubleshooting guide

If the needle jumps, freezes or points the wrong way, one of these steps almost always fixes it.

Calibrate in 15 seconds

Phone compasses drift over time, especially after being near magnets. Recalibrating resets them.

  1. Move away from metal furniture, cars, speakers and laptops.
  2. Hold your phone and draw a large figure 8 in the air three or four times, turning your wrist as you go.
  3. Hold the phone flat and wait two seconds for the reading to settle.

On many Android phones you can also open Google Maps, tap the blue location dot and choose Calibrate.

Avoid magnetic interference

Magnetic and metal objects bend the field your phone measures, which can shift the needle by many degrees.

  • Remove phone cases or wallets with magnetic clasps, and step away from magnetic car mounts.
  • Stay at least half a metre from steel tables, radiators, appliances and speakers.
  • Inside cars, trains and planes, readings are unreliable. Use the angle shown and a fixed landmark instead.

iPhone and iPad (Safari)

Safari needs two permissions: location and motion & orientation.

  1. Tap Find Qibla Direction and choose Allow on both prompts.
  2. If you chose Don’t Allow earlier, close the tab, reopen the page and tap the button again.
  3. If location is still blocked, open Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services, make sure it is on, and set Safari Websites to While Using the App.

Android (Chrome, Samsung Internet, Firefox)

  1. Make sure location is turned on in your quick settings.
  2. Tap the icon to the left of the web address, open Permissions, and allow Location and Motion sensors.
  3. Reload the page and tap Find Qibla Direction again.

If the compass stays still, your phone may not have a magnetic sensor. Use the angle with a physical compass.

Computers and laptops

Most computers have no compass sensor, so the dial cannot rotate on its own. The angle shown is still exact: stand with a physical compass or a known direction, and turn that many degrees clockwise from North. The map also draws the path to the Kaaba so you can line it up with nearby streets.

Double-check with the sun

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, around 27–28 May at 09:18 UTC and 15–16 July at 09:27 UTC. At those moments, wherever the sun is visible, it lies in the Qibla direction and shadows point directly away from it. It is a simple way to confirm your mosque’s or your phone’s direction.