Sky Map

Sky Map Devs

Troubleshooting/FAQ

Find us elsewhere:

About this app

Sky Map is a hand-held planetarium for your Android device. Use it to identify stars, planets, nebulae and more. Originally developed as Google Sky Map, it has now been donated and open sourced.

Troubleshooting/FAQ

The Map doesn't move/points in the wrong place

Make sure you haven't switched into manual mode. Does your phone have a compass? If not, Sky Map cannot tell your orientation. Look it up here: http://www.gsmarena.com/

Try calibrating your compass by moving it in a figure of 8 motion or as described here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1EPbAapaeI.

Are there any magnets or metal nearby that might interfere with the compass?

Try switching off "magnetic correction" (in settings) and see if that is more accurate.

Why is autolocation not supported for my phone?

In Android 6 the way permissions work has changed. You need to enable the location permission setting for Sky Map as described here: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/6270602?p=app_permissons_m

The Map is jittery

If you have a phone that lacks a gyro then some jitter is to be expected. Try adjusting the sensor speed and damping (in settings).

Do I need an internet connection?

No, but some functions (like entering your location manually) won't work without one. You'll have to use the GPS or enter a latitude and longitude instead.

Can I help test the latest features?

Sure! Join our beta testing program and get the latest version. https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.google.android.stardroid

Find us elsewhere:

⭐ GitHub: https://github.com/sky-map-team/stardroid
⭐ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/113507592330/
⭐ Twitter: http://twitter.com/skymapdevs

Ratings and reviews

Enjoyed the app for a while. Simple with good options. Recommended to others over the years. However, the last several times I've tried to use it, it is WAY off, for example: telling me the sun is ~15° below sunrise when I'm watching the sunset.... I have GPS, data and wifi on (or off) trying different settings to determine location. Tried all the troubleshooting tips, but it can't figure it out, I guess. Uninstalled because it was unusable (and I'm not techy enough to dig deeper).

As long as you calibrate as instructed, this app is fantastic. You can search for anything in the sky and it will point you towards it, it names constellations, there are different layers you can choose to have labeled depending on what you're looking for. The only thing that would make it better is if it told you when special events were happening, such as certain planets being aligned in an unusual way, or a good night for meteor showers, etc.

Interesting app... Major problem is the compass is never accurate. The app will tell you if the internal compass needs calibration. This never works, even at high accuracy, it still is off by 90 degrees, give or take. There should be an actual manual calibration option. Not some silly flip-your-phone-for-twenty-minutes-for-no-measurable-improvement method.

What’s new

* Improved night mode so that it respects system defaults
* Variable font size
* Updated translations
* Bug fixes