Online Compass
Start with the status text on the compass. A dial without a heading can mean denied permission, no usable sensor report, relative rotation or a stale reading. Each state needs a different check.
Press Start before looking for a reading
Online Compass waits until you choose Start device compass. Opening the page does not request motion permission or start a location lookup. If the browser shows a motion-access prompt, decide whether to allow it, then wait for a usable event.
Some browsers require the permission request to follow a user action. The Start button supplies that action. Browser support varies, so another phone's permission dialog may not match yours. The presence of a compass-looking interface does not establish that your browser can expose the hardware.
Use the HTTPS production website. Sensor APIs can be restricted to secure contexts, and an embedded page can face additional permission policy restrictions. Test the main page directly before diagnosing a problem with an embedded browser or another site's frame.
If permission was denied
Read the browser's site-permission controls and the phone's relevant privacy settings. Change only the permission you intend to grant, then retry the tool. Menus and available switches differ across operating systems and browsers; Online Compass cannot override that decision.
Repeatedly pressing Start cannot bypass a refusal that the browser retains. Reloading may help the page see a changed setting, but it does not supply missing hardware or guarantee a sensor reading. If the browser still refuses access, use an alternative source of direction appropriate to your task.
Location permission is separate. Allowing Coordinates to read a position does not automatically allow motion data. Conversely, a supported magnetic device heading can be displayed without granting location access. The optional True North correction needs a correction position, which can be typed manually.
If the browser reports no usable heading
A desktop or tablet may lack a suitable compass sensor, and a phone may withhold it from websites. A successful permission response only permits access; it does not prove that meaningful orientation events will arrive.
Try a browser that exposes the needed data on your device. Check the status after the next attempt instead of assuming a different browser has fixed the problem. No heading means the tool has no north-referenced reading to show, even if the dial itself remains visible.
An operating system compass can use data or calibration information unavailable to a website. A working native app therefore does not guarantee that a web compass receives the same report. Compare the labels and reference on both tools before comparing their numbers.
If the angle changes but north is unavailable
Relative rotation describes movement from an arbitrary starting reference. Turning the phone can change that number without identifying geographic or magnetic north. Online Compass labels it as relative rather than treating the first position as north.
A generic absolute orientation report can also leave its magnetic or true-north basis unspecified. The tool states that uncertainty and refuses to apply a magnetic-to-true correction to an unknown reference. A correction position alone cannot resolve it.
Manual mode supplies an angle selected by you. It lets you inspect degree markings and cardinal positions when sensors fail. It cannot replace a north-referenced instrument: choosing 0° positions the drawing but does not locate north in your surroundings.
If a previously working reading stops
Return to the tab and wait for a fresh sensor report. A hidden tab, screen rotation or interruption can leave a prior event out of date. The compass clears stale readings rather than presenting the last angle as current.
Check again with the phone flat and away from magnetic accessories, chargers and large metal objects. Remove a suspect accessory and compare the result in a different setting. A steady needle may still be wrong, so check against an independent known direction when errors would affect your route.
The calibration illustrations show suggested motions and interference checks. They do not perform hardware calibration themselves. Follow the phone's own calibration guidance when it supplies it, and inspect the heading afterward.
If True North stays unavailable
True North needs an identified magnetic sensor reference, a valid correction position and a date within the local WMM2025 model's supported period. Weak horizontal magnetic fields can also make the declination estimate unsuitable. Read the displayed reason before changing settings.
A model correction cannot repair a denied permission, an unknown reference or a poor sensor report. The accuracy line continues to report the device estimate when supplied; a missing estimate stays missing.
For a destination direction that does not depend on orientation sensors, use the bearing calculator with two checked coordinate pairs. It gives an initial geographic bearing and estimated surface distance. Keep a reliable independent direction reference if you need to follow that route.