Northwise - Digital Compass

TecDroid Developer

About this app

Northwise is a digital compass built like a ship's binnacle: a card that floats under a glass dome, tilts as you move and settles with real damping. Around it, an accuracy ring shows how far you can trust the heading right now, and a calibration coach helps when you can't.

A COMPASS THAT SHOWS ITS CONFIDENCE
• Heading in degrees with the direction name, from magnetic or true north
• Accuracy ring that combines what Android reports with checks of field strength, dip angle and jitter, and dims the heading when it is unreliable
• Level bubble in the card: the heading is steadiest with the phone flat
• Lock a bearing and follow it, with a turn arrow, an on-course vibration and the back-bearing
• Degrees, mils or grads
• Red night mode for the dark, a big-number mode, keep the screen on, landscape
• Floating compass in picture-in-picture over other apps

TRUE NORTH, EXPLAINED
True north uses the World Magnetic Model built into Android for a position you choose: one of 300 cities stored in the app, typed coordinates, or, only if you tap "Use my location", a fix from your phone. The declination is an estimate from that model, and the app shows it so you can check it.

CALIBRATION COACH
• Guided motion with a sphere that fills as you turn the phone
• A check of the heading before and after, with a history of checks
• Interference meter: the field your phone measures next to what Earth's field should be where you are
• Sweep test: turn on the spot and see in which direction metal or a magnet disturbs the reading
• Sensor details for your phone, and a plain message if it has no compass sensor

CAMERA SIGHT
• Aim at a peak, a tower or any landmark through the back camera
• Heading tape, crosshair, horizon line and elevation angle
• Save what you aimed at as a bearing, elevation included
• Without the camera permission, the sighting tape still works

BEARINGS AND PLACES
• Save bearings with names and notes, pin your favourites, put any of them on the dial
• Point to a place: direction and distance to a city or coordinates, along the great circle
• Optional live position: coordinates in decimal degrees, DMS or DDM, GPS altitude and speed while the screen is open
• Share a bearing as an image card

SKY MAP
• The sun's path across your sky on any date, with a beam where your phone points
• Sunrise, sunset, golden hour, blue hour and twilight, with day length
• Moon direction and height, phase, and the next full and new moon
• Shadow length for the sun's height
• Solar panel and roof helper: hours of direct sun for a direction and tilt
• Satellite dish helper: direction and elevation for a satellite position you type
Sun and moon times are calculated for your position (estimates for a flat horizon).

ON YOUR HOME SCREEN
• Sun times widget in two sizes and a saved bearing widget
• Quick Settings tile and app shortcuts, including one for night mode
Android refreshes widgets only now and then, so no widget pretends to show a live heading: tap one to open the live compass.

PRIVACY
No account. The compass, the sky map and every calculation run on your phone. Location is optional, asked only when you tap "Use my location", used only while the app is open, and never sent anywhere. The camera picture is shown on screen to aim and is never saved or sent. Crash reports and basic usage statistics (Google Firebase) help fix problems; see the privacy policy.

GOOD TO KNOW
A phone compass can be disturbed by metal, magnets, cars, speakers and magnetic cases; the accuracy ring and the coach show when that happens. For safety-critical navigation, carry a real compass and a map.

In 18 languages.

Questions or ideas: [e-mail]

What’s new

First release of Northwise:
• Compass with a 3D card, accuracy ring, true or magnetic north, bearing lock, mils and grads
• Red night mode, big-number mode and a floating picture-in-picture compass
• Calibration coach with interference meter and sweep test
• Camera sight with heading and elevation
• Saved bearings and direction to any place
• Sky map: sun path, golden hour, moon
• Widgets, Quick Settings tile and shortcuts