If you are an outdoor-going person, a compass app is something you should keep installed on your phone. There are times when you just need to know the directions, especially when you are on a hiking trail or you are in an unknown place.
While carrying a dedicated compass is always advised, you can nonetheless depend on your smartphone for the same. Do ensure that you have an option of charging your phone because it will eventually run out of battery.
So, if you are looking for best compass apps for Android and iOS, here is our pick of 10 such apps that you can rely on. Before we start, let us be very clear! Cross compatible apps in this category are rare and they don’t come with great ratings. So, we created a list of 5 compass apps for Android and 5 compass apps for iOS.
Read on…
Best Compass Apps for iOS
1. Compass XXL
This free app has some incredible features that can help you with precise navigation. The core features of the app are:
- In simple mode, it tells the direction.
- You can use the phone’s camera in conjunction with app. The app will create a background preview and then tell the direction.
- It uses the magnetic sensor of the phone but in case of presence of strong external magnetic fields like metal objects, installations, equipment etc., it’s readings might not be accurate.
2. Compass Ø
Yet another free but highly rated compass app available on App Store is this one. It boasts to be the most beautifully designed compass app for iOS devices. The core features of the app are:
- Beautiful rustic style.
- Tells altitude, location and orientation at any given point in time.
- Uses the sensors of the device to work accurately.
3. Compass χ
Beautifully designed, this app is available for iPhone and iPad. It is just as simple as a compass app can get. The core features of the app are:
- Beautiful rustic design.
- Gives the most important data like precision, GPS coordinate in form of latitude and longitude, altitude and even pressure.
4. Compass°
Simplest so far among all apps mentioned above, this compass app is designed to tell you the direction in a big bold way. Here is what it offers:
- Tells the direction in which you are moving.
- The direction is shown as a big bold letter covering almost the entire screen.
5. Compass∞
Yet another very simple app, it does exactly what it is designed for. Here are the core features of the app:
- Shows the true magnetic North with a red colored arrow.
- Gives cardinal directions.
- With location services enabled, it gives weather data.
- Gives altitude.
- Has a flashlight mode for night usage.
- Gives a big letter compass reading.
Best Compass Apps for Android
6. Just a Compass
With a flat and soothing design, Just a Compass is one star candidate for installation on your Android device. It comes with a host of useful features which include:
- Uses magnetic declination to tell geographic and magnetic north.
- Gives time of sunrise and sunset.
- Gives true altitude above sea level for any given location.
- Gives latitude and longitude in various formats.
- Gives address of your exact location.
7. Compass Digital
Perfect for outdoor uses like picnic, hiking, camping, travel etc, this app is more than just a compass. It also tells GPS location, gives weather info and location info. The core features of the app are:
- Gives options of latitude, longitude, address and full-screen map.
- Provides true and magnetic heading.
- Comes with slope level meter.
- Gives detailed direction with decimal bearing.
- Tells magnetic and true north.
- Very smooth movements.
- Works offline.
8. Digital Compass
One simple and sweet digital compass that can be used for a wide range of activities, the Digital Compass is a must have app for those who don’t like overly cluttered applications. The core features of the app are:
- Shows location with longitude, latitude and address.
- Shows slope angle.
- Shows strength of magnetic field.
- Allows you to add a direction pointer marker.
- Shows altitude etc.
It can be used for a wide range of activities like Vastu tips, adjusting television antenna, finding horoscope, outdoor activities and more.
9. Digital Compass for Android
We know that the names can get confusing but this is not the same as the one above. It comes with a lot of features that can take care of all your needs. The basic features offered by this app are:
- True and magnetic North available and you can switch between the two.
- Shows the slope of the device.
- Displays true heading.
- Displays magnetic field strength.
- Comes with Google Maps and GPS maps.
- Offers standard, hybrid and terrain modes.
- Displays current location, latitude and longitude.
- Shows notifications for calibrations.
10. Compass
The Compass app by PixelProse comes with magnetic declination correction to offer the best possible accuracy. This cute little app for Android phones comes with the following features:
- Uses network location or GPS for best accuracy.
- Computes elevation using EGM-96 model.
- Provide altimeter and also give true altitude above sea level.
- Gives times for sunrise and sunset.
- Show longitude and latitude and provides coordinates in multiple formats.
- Can be installed on SD card and is easy to calibrate.