Troubleshooting

Fix It in 2 Minutes

9 out of 10 problems are a permission or a poorly calibrated magnetometer. Find your device below and work through the list in order.

First, These Three

  1. Press Start. The finder only activates sensors after your tap — browsers require that gesture before asking for permission.
  2. Hold the phone flat. Tilted phones give unstable headings. Keep it parallel to the ground.
  3. Walk away from metal. Cars, rebar in concrete, speakers, magnetic cases and laptop chargers all bend the field.

Fix 01

iPhone & iPad — Safari

  1. Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Safari Websites and choose “While Using the App”.
  2. Open Settings → Apps → Safari (or Settings → Safari) → Privacy & Security and turn on “Motion & Orientation Access”.
  3. Return to this page, tap the address bar, and tap the location icon to confirm access is allowed.
  4. Reload the page and press “Start Qibla Finder” again.
  5. Remove magnetic cases or ring holders — they are the single most common cause of wild readings on phones.

Fix 02

Android — Chrome & Samsung Internet

  1. Tap the lock or tune icon in the address bar → Permissions → Location → Allow.
  2. In system Settings → Location, make sure location is on and the accuracy mode is “High”.
  3. Open the app-level “Motion & Sensors” / “Sensors” privacy toggle for the browser and allow it if your manufacturer shows one.
  4. Recalibrate: search “compass calibration” in system settings (many Androids have a built-in tool), then run the figure-8 guide here.
  5. Restart the browser after changing sensor permissions — some devices only apply them on relaunch.

Fix 03

Laptops & Desktops

  1. Most laptops have no magnetometer, so the compass and arrow modes show “No compass signal”. That is expected hardware behavior, not a bug.
  2. Use Map mode — the bearing, route and distance are identical to the phone version.
  3. If your machine does have a sensor (some convertibles and tablets do), enable the generic sensor flags in the browser: chrome://flags/#enable-generic-sensor-extra-classes (Chrome and Edge).
  4. Firefox and Safari on desktop do not expose orientation sensors to websites — use the map instead.

Fix 04

Location Permission Blocked

  1. Look for a blocked-location icon in the address bar and set Location to “Allow”.
  2. Check that the browser is not in private/incognito mode with extra blocking enabled.
  3. Corporate networks and some privacy extensions can block geolocation — try a different network or browser.
  4. After allowing location, tap Find Qibla Direction again. The reading appears as soon as your position is received.

Accuracy

Calibrate the Compass

Open the finder, tap the settings gear, then the accuracy warning’s Calibrate button for the animated figure-8 guide. The reading is good when the accuracy chip reads “Active” (or an error under ±10°).

Still stuck? Compare the bearing against the worked examples onHow It Works— if yours matches the math, the number is right and only the compass needs attention.

Desktop Chrome & Edge

Enable Generic Sensors (Optional)

Only needed for devices that ship a magnetometer but disable web access to it:

  1. Copy chrome://flags/#enable-generic-sensor-extra-classes into a new tab.
  2. Set Generic Sensor Extra Classes to Enabled.
  3. Relaunch the browser and reload this page.
  4. Edge uses the same flags with edge://flags/…