When your sky map app points the wrong way: fixing compass and AR drift

A sky map app knows where every star is. What it has to guess is where your phone is pointing. It uses three sensors for that: GPS for your location, the gyroscope for tilt, and the magnetic compass for direction. The compass is the one that goes wrong.

Signs it’s the compass

• Labels are shifted sideways from the real stars by a consistent amount.
• The view drifts slowly when you hold the phone still.
• It’s fine in one spot and wrong a few metres away.

Six fixes, in order

1. Take off magnetic accessories. MagSafe wallets, magnetic cases and car mounts are the most common cause.
2. Move away from metal. Car roofs, railings, balconies with steel frames, even a metal table.
3. Do the figure eight. Wave the phone slowly in a figure-eight pattern a few times. It helps the compass recalibrate.
4. Check iOS compass calibration is on. Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › System Services › Compass Calibration.
5. Allow precise location for the app in Location Services.
6. Restart the AR view after the steps above.

Check against a known star

Find one bright object you can identify yourself, like the Moon or a bright planet, and see if the label sits on it. If it does, the rest of the sky will be right too.

Amazing Stargazing Experience

Really impressed with this app! The AR sky tracking is smooth and accurate, and it makes identifying stars, planets, and constellations super fun.

★★★★★ App Store review, India, 27 May 2026, Inevitable_007 · App Store

When it still drifts

Some places are magnetically noisy. Inside buildings it’s often worse than outside. If Sky Map is still off after these steps outdoors, contact us through harmonycrafted.com with your iPhone model and roughly where you were.

Related: what to check in a sky map app.