How to calibrate the compass on Google Maps: all the ways

Google Maps is one of the most used applications In Europe. Thanks to this application, we can navigate, locate places or even plan our trips in a simple and safe way. As with any other application on Android, there may be some operational issues from time to time. There is one problem that has happened to many: compass malfunctions.

If the compass in Google Maps is wrong, we are going to have problems while browsing or finding an address because it will not do it correctly. Fortunately, we can calibrate the compass in the app to make it work properly again. To achieve this, there are different methods.

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Traditional method to calibrate the compass on Google Maps

In Google Maps we have a classic way to calibrate the compass in the event of a malfunction, which is usually one of the most common app problems on Android. The cause of this problem may lie in the fact that one of the sensors used for the calculations is not functioning correctly and needs to be calibrated. The steps to calibrate it again are:

1. Open the app on Android.
2. Click on the blue circle that shows your location.
3. Select the Calibrate Compass option at the bottom of the screen.
4. Move the phone into a figure following the on-screen instructions (do it three times).
5. Restart the app.

With Live View in augmented reality

This summer, a new method was introduced in the app to calibrate the said compass, which we have already told you about. The procedure is identical to the previous step, only now we will use Live View, the augmented reality of the app, so it’s something that we can use when we’re on the street, for example. The steps to calibrate the compass using this new method are as follows:

1. Open Google Maps on Android.
2. Click on the blue circle that shows your location.
3. Select the Calibrate with Live View option.
4. Click on Start.
5. Focus on the buildings on the street until the app finds you.
6. Restart the app.

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From settings

The above are the traditional methods of calibrating the compass in the app. A common problem if the compass does not point in the right direction is that there is an option in the settings that is enabled, which is to always point the compass north. This causes the app’s compass to always point in the same direction, preventing it from working properly. The steps to change this are:

1. Abre Google Maps.
2. Tap your profile picture.
3. Go to Settings.
4. Click on Navigation settings.
5. Look for the Keep Map North Up option.
6. Activate this option.