Develop Bugs

[Q] Compass off by 90 degrees

I've noticed on my new S3 that the compass is sometimes off by 90 degrees. Then, if I close the map app and open it later, the compass is accurate.
This this a known issue?
Thanks!

Not sure about this issue but I know there is a way to calibrate the phone somewhere in the settings. Not sure if it will help or is even related but might as well give it a try.

dmobbjr said:
Not sure about this issue but I know there is a way to calibrate the phone somewhere in the settings. Not sure if it will help or is even related but might as well give it a try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't find a compass calibration, although I recall seeing a gyroscope calibration setting hidden somewhere (I'll have to find it again). Would that help at all?
I tried a compass calibration using the GPS Status app, but it didn't seem to help. It's strange. Tried it again on my way into work and it got some of the directions right, but wrong on others. It also seems to improve over time. I almost wondered if it didn't have a magnetic compass and was just using gps signals to guess at your direction. As far as I can tell, there is a real compass in there, although I suppose I can't be sure Samsung is actually using it.

Same problem here...
I'm having the same problem here on all my devices, so i'm thinking it is more likely a bug in android than a hardware issue.
Calibrating the compass with GPS Status (on the play store, can*t post a link yet) helps but never for long... quit google maps or navigation, and on next use I have to calibrate again.
I just verified this one someone else's S5, same there.

Another interesting detail:
I used to have the same issue on my Samsung S3, but with CM on it all is well now... so it really seems to be a software thing.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Free mobile app

interesting: there's a two year old bug entry about this on google: https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=37771
...it has been closed as "obsolete".
nice going there.

Here's a *possible* solution to bad compass...

If your Nitro is like mine, then its' compass couldn't find North to save its' life. Or worse yet it might be in the vicinity, but is very sporadic...Makes it just about impossible to use apps like Google Star Maps or get a proper bearing on direction in Nav when you're at a stop.
If you're also like me, you've tried doing the compass calibrations with the whacky waving your phone in a figure 8 to calibrate. But this hasn't fixed my issue.
But then I tried the rotate-all-axis calibration method and now my compass is much better! Here's what to try:
1. Install GPS Status from the Play Store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2
2. Open the app, then bring up the Menu and choose: Tools > Compass calibration
3. Rotate the phone along the 3 axises a couple of times, like in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNJJPeoG8lQ
4. Press okay and your compass *should* be better
NOTE: I just noticed that when I went to test on another phone to compare (I also have a Nexus One), that my Nitro went out-of-whack again and only after a short while from previous calibration! Another calibration and it's working again, but that sucks that it lost its' bearings so quickly like that.
Give it a try and good luck!

Didn't really work for me. I really think this is a hardware issue. Do you think we should demand some kind of rebate for this or something? I know (its somewhere on the threads) that LG officially acknowledged the problem and have yet to come out for a fix. They are knowingly selling a defected phone.

anybody test the phone with any of the new official software?

After calibration compass works correctly.

Wlld1 said:
After calibration compass works correctly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For how long? Work after a reboot?
After flashing a new ROM?

Yes, it works after reboot. But calibration will be lost after flashing new ROM. I dont know where its data is stored.

Wlld1 said:
Yes, it works after reboot. But calibration will be lost after flashing new ROM. I dont know where its data is stored.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
still sucks. all jumpy and not accurate.
I calibrated mine acouple of times yesterday. The compass worked, but it was very sluggish or spun too fast, and unless I put it on a table, wouldn't stop spinning.
I tried today, and it worked but was very slow to catch up to my movements.
Tried some sky map apps, and it just sucks. Same with the augmented reality apps.
wish there was a fix - or we at least new the problem.
thinking I may go back to stock and send it in to telus and see if there is a fix. Anybody have a working compass after a hardware swap? or repair?

The calibration did fix (even after reboot) the compass but I've noticed it takes sometime to settle after starting an application that use the compass.
At first it looks like the infernal spinning madness is about to start over again but after a few spins it stops at the correct position and stay there.
Weird...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

Magnetic Sensor (Compass) is erratic

I think my Magnetic Sensor is off. Try downloading a program called "Marine Compass" onto your Note 2. On my device, it doesn't stay on one heading. It bounces back and forth by 1 unit. I installed the same program on my SGSIII. On the SGSIII it is stable.
I entered the debug/test mode on both the Note 2 and the SGSIII. I ran the sensor test on both units. The Note 2 seems to be more sensitive than the other. Whats also weird is the "Lux" meter. It's in the hundreds on the SGSIII, while it's barely 10 on the Note 2.
Anyone else notice this on their Note 2 unit?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

I too have the note II and GSIII, and the compass is jumpy on the note II while on the GSIII it's stable.

yep, posted this in Q&A, compass is useless.

odd, my compass seems to be fine. doesn't the gps nav need compass to work correctly? i use gps all the time and it's a real blessing lol

boodies said:
odd, my compass seems to be fine. doesn't the gps nav need compass to work correctly? i use gps all the time and it's a real blessing lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when in motion the gps device does not use compass to tell the direction of travel. if the device is accurate then the direction or motion will be very accurate as well as the speed.
when motionless the gps device cannot tell what direction the device is facing and so some gps devices will use a compass sensor for this purpose.
that being said - I too have both SGS iii and the Note ii and noticed the same thing - that the Note ii north pointing needle is jumpy and it is not accurate.
there is a low wall in my back yard that is aligned almost exactly north south and using the Google sky map with SGS III the north star is perfectly aligned with the Google sky map. With the Note II, the north star and sky map not so much.

A picture worth thousand words:
http://youtu.be/1AuYX2zXa1A

that video...LOL. but seriously a problem. i hope this is fixable with a software update. this issue makes me wish i didn't give up my Galaxy S III. this is almost as annoying as 'drifting' on an XBOX 360 controller due to an analog stick.

nick2k said:
that video...LOL. but seriously a problem. i hope this is fixable with a software update. this issue makes me wish i didn't give up my Galaxy S III. this is almost as annoying as 'drifting' on an XBOX 360 controller due to an analog stick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually GS3 has the same issue, but it's not as bad though. And in my test's it would be little erratic only every other time, on N2 it's constant.

My compass is twitchy as well. Phone was built last month.
Hastily spouted for your befuddlement

I noticed this when I open up google maps and I'm not moving, the arrow for me is always pointing about 30-45 degrees off

achusaysblessyou said:
I noticed this when I open up google maps and I'm not moving, the arrow for me is always pointing about 30-45 degrees off
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really?
I doubt that google maps uses the compass to tell direction while you are standing still. On my devices the arrow point is completely off whilst the device is at rest.
As I pointed out in post #5, a gps receiver cannot tell direction whilst it is not in motion and the fact that the direction while the device is not moving is inaccurate indicates that google maps does not use the compass, at all, to tell direction.

I hate how useless the compass is. I haven't tried any of the satellite or skymap apps, but ingress jumps around erratically. A friend with an AT&T phone has the same issue. Really sucks that such a great phone has such a glaring failure.

At least it's not like LG Nitro HD:
http://youtu.be/xxxS_HZsRLU
So it's not that bad

Hmmm (if you freeze stuff with TiB, make sure lcdtest is not frozen), open phone and dial:
*#0*#
It should show bunch of different buttons, go to sensor, and start rotating phone in x, y and z axis until circle on the bottom start showing 3 with blue line (it was 0 with red line first time I entered there).
After that it seems compass become much more stable and accurate, at least for a while.

my compass is off by about 15degrees. this is my third note2. my first two were exchanged because the roll axis was off by about 6degrees, making racing games really annoying.
I have another 2 days in my 30 day return window. I think I'm going to exchange again.

elouisyoung said:
my compass is off by about 15degrees. this is my third note2. my first two were exchanged because the roll axis was off by about 6degrees, making racing games really annoying.
I have another 2 days in my 30 day return window. I think I'm going to exchange again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you try the fix shown in post previous to yours?
if you do try it - you get out of that screen by pushing the back button

Mine seems to be working fine. I turn off gps and set the compass to use magnetic only and it seems to be ok.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2

I had the same problem for weeks.
I think I've finally found a fix for this. You have to be rooted.
1. Go to /data/misc/akmd_set.txt
2. Change permissions to -rw-rw-rw (or chmod 666)
Apparently the compass saves calibration values here. Because "system" doesn't have write access, every time you calibrate, it wont get saved.
Giving these permissions allows the compass to calibrate properly.
Results so far:
1. Compass finally works perfectly after calibrating.
2. Effects stay after a reboot.
(please hit thanks if this helped you!)

Lodd said:
I had the same problem for weeks.
I think I've finally found a fix for this. You have to be rooted.
1. Go to /data/misc/akmd_set.txt
2. Change permissions to -rw-rw-rw (or chmod 666)
Apparently the compass saves calibration values here. Because "system" doesn't have write access, every time you calibrate, it wont get saved.
Giving these permissions allows the compass to calibrate properly.
Results so far:
1. Compass finally works perfectly after calibrating.
2. Effects stay after a reboot.
(please hit thanks if this helped you!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please, could you clarify? I can not find this file with root explorer. The folders are present, but not the .txt file.
Thanks!

[email protected] said:
Hmmm (if you freeze stuff with TiB, make sure lcdtest is not frozen), open phone and dial:
*#0*#
It should show bunch of different buttons, go to sensor, and start rotating phone in x, y and z axis until circle on the bottom start showing 3 with blue line (it was 0 with red line first time I entered there).
After that it seems compass become much more stable and accurate, at least for a while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know how to thank you enough for this, and it's working even on a note 3 I thought it had a faulty magnetic sensor. Did what you suggested and now it really is stable and accurate. :good::good::good:

[Q] Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Motion Sensor and Gyroscope not working

hi i just recently bought a galaxy note 2 phablet, im very happy with it every thing works perfectly fine, however i did come across a slight problem which is bugging me alot, as i loaded the phone up it shows you all the tutorials and stuff, for panning and zooming in using motion control.... i did not realise the problem before as i was really happy to just get the phone after so long, My motion sensor and gyroscope functions are not working
i have tried everything from factory reset to restarting , taking the battery out and putting it back in, has anyone stumbled upon this problem, and is there a solution to this problem, whether this is a software glitch/problem or a hardware issue. if anyone can help me please and thanks in advance

*#0*# check there if they are working.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

mariosraptor said:
*#0*# check there if they are working.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi thank you for the quick reply, i had a look at what you asked me to do and i did manage to find all the settings, however it looks to me everything is working apart from the light sensor one, all the other settings came up as a PASS apart from the light sensor which came as level 0, which i dont know what that means, while i was on the sensor screen i swiped my hand across the sensor and the screen shifted colour from white to yellow, which is a good indication that it is working , however i went back on the operating system and tried the palm swipe and it did not work, niether did the quick glance, and the pan to zoom features are not working either, i did test the gyrocope settings and it came out as a PASS too, could you explain maybe why this may be happening and what does the level 0 on the light sensor option means, please and thank you , i really do appreciate it.

Lavel 0 says to all phones I have tried including mine. As long as the LUX changes it is working.
Now for your primary problem try to recalibrate gyroscope.
Do it by going settings-motion-advanced settings-gyroscope calibration.
If that does not help try clearing cache in recovery.
If that does not help then backup and try reflashing your rom.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

darkgallion said:
hi i just recently bought a galaxy note 2 phablet, im very happy with it every thing works perfectly fine, however i did come across a slight problem which is bugging me alot, as i loaded the phone up it shows you all the tutorials and stuff, for panning and zooming in using motion control.... i did not realise the problem before as i was really happy to just get the phone after so long, My motion sensor and gyroscope functions are not working
i have tried everything from factory reset to restarting , taking the battery out and putting it back in, has anyone stumbled upon this problem, and is there a solution to this problem, whether this is a software glitch/problem or a hardware issue. if anyone can help me please and thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello in response to your issues with the motion sensor. Have you installed a screen protector on your note 2? i noticed that after installing the screen protector on my Note 2 some of the motion actions did not work properly. So if you do have one on remove it and see if that corrects the issue. :good:

Useful help.
This was a very Useful thread, thanks. I've done the tests and came up vitha a fail when i tried my motion sensor. Is it likely to be broken? I'm going to reset to factory settings and pull of my screenprotector and se what happens before i do anything else. Is there anyone out there who has replaced the motion sensor? Is it soldered to the main board? Hard to replace?
Thanks beforehand. Tommie.

i thnk my sensor is nt wrkin... when i do the test, d color is alredy green nd isnt changin nd is vibratin continuosly?? is it broken or somthng lyk dat??

note 2 sensor help
mariosraptor said:
*#0*# check there if they are working.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can't get quick glance to work
*#06*# does nothing on my note 2 why? Sensor not working was but stopped for some reason?:crying:

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Motion Sensor and Gyroscope not working
hi my samsung note 2 was working well for last 2 years bur recenrtly its motion sensor has stopped working.
i have checked all settings, it isnt working at all..
gyroscope and motionsensor tests are fail on checking. please help me, what to do?

I have had the exact same issue. The only way to fix it is to get the whole motherboard replaced. I went into Samsung store and they said that. Issue here is that it costs £145 to replace the main board. The sensors are on the main board itself and that is why it costs a lot to fix. I've been using my Note 2 with no gyroscope for a few months now, going to buy a new phone. Rather buy a brand new phone than get it fixed

just loosen the screw nearest to the microsd card. motion sensor is under it. it work on my phone.

gyroscope sensor
Hi,
my gyroscope is burned and i buy it and now i opened my phone and i don't know how to replace it. Any help is welcome...

haakhan said:
just loosen the screw nearest to the microsd card. motion sensor is under it. it work on my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeahhh!!!
You are a Hero! I tried nearly everythink since January 2016! I took the screw out, shut down my phone, put it into download mode and pull the battery out.
Im not shure if a restart would do it alone, i did all to be shure. And it now works again. My srew was magnetized! Maybe that was the reason or the chip has
a loosen contact.
Up to now it works great! I thought my sensor was dead.

[Q] Tab S 8.4 will not auto-rotate screen! Stuck on portrait.

I just got the Tab S 8.4 yesterday and I am trying to figure if I am missing something. My screen will not rotate, it will stay in portrait mode all the time, it will not go to landscape mode on anything...youtube, internet, gallery, etc. Yes...the SCREEN ROTATION is on in settings. I have turned it on and off and still nothing. I even went ahead and did a reset. Still nothing.
Am I missing something?
Probably not, just need to return it. Something might be wrong with its hardware or software that will not make the screen rotate.

Is screen rotation highlighted when you pull down the notification panel? If it is download SENSOR BOX FOR ANDROID from play and see if the orientation sensor is working.

ashyx said:
Is screen rotation highlighted when you pull down the notification panel? If it is download SENSOR BOX FOR ANDROID from play and see if the orientation sensor is working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen Rotation is highlighted when I pull down the notification panel. I will download the app and check it out. I mean, what can I do anyways if it does show that the sensor is working correctly?

Are you using a different launcher?

javisuhfiks said:
Screen Rotation is highlighted when I pull down the notification panel. I will download the app and check it out. I mean, what can I do anyways if it does show that the sensor is working correctly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
at least you will know the hardware is working. You could also try SET ORIENTATION from play to see if you can force it.

ashyx said:
at least you will know the hardware is working. You could also try SET ORIENTATION from play to see if you can force it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Set orientation did work. It did change the orientation of the screen from portrait to landscape. But it stood that way, meaning everything was either going to be stuck in portrait mode or landscape.
As for the launcher...its stock touchwiz. I have not tried any other launchers.

What was the result of the sensor test?

ashyx said:
What was the result of the sensor test?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im not home with the tablet yet. All those things I did yesterday night. I will try the sensor test first thing when i get home.

Ok, I downloaded app and no good. The gyroscope sensor did not move correctly. The accelerometer sensor showed me the worse. The ball just rolled to the top right corner and stood there. Did not move at all, even when I slam down on any direction. Returning this tablet.
Thanks everyone.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app

I bought an Open Box for about $90 off from Best Buy, the 10.5 Tab S, and had the same issue with no rotation of screen. I only tested it with other programs that will change orientation for you, and it worked then, but not automatically, only when using the app. I checked all settings, including accessibility, I flushed the cache using the Recovery mode, but no luck. I did get lucky though at Best Buy, as they were awesome and ended up giving me a brand new one in exchange, without any additional charge. There may be some manufacturing defects in the sensors that are causing these issues. Good luck to you too sir.

Ive seen it said that some people, who've had the same problem, gave the tablet a sharp slap on the back to fix it.

ashyx said:
Ive seen it said that some people, who've had the same problem, gave the tablet a sharp slap on the back to fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 just exhibited the same problem today. A sharp slap to the back of the tablet did fix it...
Thanks.

i know this thread is 1 year old however i purchased a brand new S2 8 inch tablet from canada computers and it too will not rotate the screen on its own. If i use a 3rd party software it has no issues rotating but it stays that way until i rotate it otherwise manually. Brand new less than 1 day old and i already have to warranty it with Samsung disappointed that such a premium tablet having an issue out of the box. Also all sensor software in install all indicate there are no sensors installed.
Edit: ok now everything works great and all sensors work now on Sensor Box. I had to do a hard cache reset of the cache partition using that dos look alike menu at startup.

gabbie1977 said:
i know this thread is 1 year old however i purchased a brand new S2 8 inch tablet from canada computers and it too will not rotate the screen on its own. If i use a 3rd party software it has no issues rotating but it stays that way until i rotate it otherwise manually. Brand new less than 1 day old and i already have to warranty it with Samsung disappointed that such a premium tablet having an issue out of the box. Also all sensor software in install all indicate there are no sensors installed.
Edit: ok now everything works great and all sensors work now on Sensor Box. I had to do a hard cache reset of the cache partition using that dos look alike menu at startup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You did a factory reset.

ashyx said:
You did a factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This confuses me since the Android settings Backup / Restore has "Factory Reset" which I did twice and it didn't work, then I pressed power button, volume up and home button to bring up the other menu on bootup and selected the format cache partition option. This resolved the issue and was happy I didn't loose my data unlike the backup/restore had wiped all my data. Is that still considered a factory reset? I did see the option to factory reset but didn't select it, I opted to try the cache partition instead which I was glad had worked. Saved me from taking my new unit back to be repaired.

theres an app called bubble level (spirit level) i used to re-calibrate my sensor since there isn't a built in way anymore, if the slapping doesn't work or you don't wanna risk it try that.