https://nalar.dev/tags/sensors/ Recent content in Sensors on Nalar Hugo en-us Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0700 https://nalar.dev/tech/why-your-phones-compass-can-point-the-wrong-way/ Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0700 https://nalar.dev/tech/why-your-phones-compass-can-point-the-wrong-way/ <p>A map app can know your location correctly while the direction arrow points sideways. A compass app can also appear accurate in one place and drift badly in another. These problems make more sense once you separate two questions that phones answer in different ways: <strong>Where am I?</strong> and <strong>Which way am I facing?</strong></p> <p>Satellite navigation can help answer the first question. To estimate the second while you are standing still, a phone commonly relies on magnetic and motion sensors. Those sensors are useful, but the magnetic one can be disturbed by ordinary objects around you.</p>