Floating Compass

About Floating Compass Android App

Floating compass is a see-through compass that floats on top of other applications ensuring it is always visible. It takes account of true north declination and points at true north, not magnetic north. You can set a desired heading and then keep the green arrow pointing to the top of the device to follow that heading. The compass can be dragged around the screen to any position of your choosing. If the app is unable to calculate true north declination then the centre spot of the compass becomes red to inform you that it is pointing at magnetic north.

There is a trial version of this app, available from the Play Store, that runs for 90 seconds allowing you to check the compatibility of your device and to see if you like the app.

Your device needs to have both magnetic and accelerometer sensors in order for this app to work correctly. Please note that this app is as accurate as your device's hardware; avoid using it anywhere near metallic objects or magnetic fields as these will significantly affect accuracy.


* Permissions Used

android.permission.SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW - This is required to allow the app to float over other apps.
android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION - This is required to correctly calculate true north declination. The app uses the most recent location available and does not cause location updates, if no location is available the compass points to magnetic north.
com.android.vending.CHECK_LICENSE - This is for the Google Play Licensing mechanism.


* Device Support

This application is designed to run on devices running Android 2.2 or above with magnetic and accelerometer sensors. It has been tested on an HTC Desire running Android 2.2 and a Samsung Galaxy S3 running 4.1. We apologise if the application does not work on your Android 2.2 or above device; please report the issue so that we can try to resolve it.