Field Needle Compass

Victorian Gold Maps

About this app

Find your direction with a clear, privacy-first compass designed for everyday use, travel, bushwalking and outdoor navigation.

Field Needle Compass works as a standard magnetic compass without requiring location access. When you choose to enable location, it can also calculate true north, Sun information, Australian direction references and straight-line guidance to places you save.

KEY FEATURES

• Magnetic and optional true north
• Clear heading and full compass direction
• Flat compass dial
• Bearing lock with left and right turn guidance
• Manually enter a bearing or calculate its reciprocal
• Save places such as your vehicle, campsite or meeting point
• Straight-line direction and distance back to saved places
• Sunrise, sunset, Sun direction and approximate shadow direction
• Optional Australian capital, coast and inland references
• Compass confidence, interference and calibration guidance
• Warning when the phone is tilted too far for a reliable upright heading
• Multiple compass styles, including Minimal, Bushwalking, Maritime, Australian, Night Navigation and Technical
• High contrast, reduced motion, large controls and left-handed options
• Optional spoken headings and bearing guidance
• Local release history, privacy controls and diagnostic summary

PRIVACY BY DESIGN

Field Needle Compass does not require an account and does not include advertising, analytics or tracking.

Sensor readings are processed on your device. Location is requested only when you use a feature that needs it and is not collected in the background. Saved place names, notes and coordinates remain in the app’s local storage and can be deleted at any time.

The app does not request internet access for its core features.

BUILT FOR CLEAR GUIDANCE

Field Needle Compass helps you understand when a reading may be unreliable. It can warn about magnetic interference, low sensor confidence, calibration issues, face-down use and excessive upright tilt.

The interface adapts to how you hold the phone while keeping your heading, active bearing and saved-place guidance easy to understand.

ACCESSIBLE AND CUSTOMISABLE

Choose from several visual compass styles and adjust the experience with high contrast, reduced motion, large controls, simplified layouts and left-handed controls.

TalkBack support, accessible labels, optional spoken headings and optional spoken turn guidance make the app usable in more situations.

IMPORTANT NAVIGATION INFORMATION

Field Needle Compass is a general directional aid. Readings can be affected by nearby metal, magnets, electronics and the quality of your device’s sensors.

Saved-place guidance is straight-line only. It does not provide routes or account for roads, tracks, terrain, water, private property or hazards.

Sun, coast and inland directions are calculated estimates. Carry appropriate maps, safety equipment and backup navigation when travelling in remote or hazardous areas.

What’s new

- Magnetic and optional true north
- Bearing lock and turn guidance
- Saved places with straight-line return direction
- Sun, sunrise, sunset and shadow information
- Compass confidence and calibration guidance
- Six compass styles and accessibility options
- Optional Australian direction references
- Privacy-first, offline-focused design