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Digital Compass and/or accelerometer problem

I just got Captivate and I really enjoy the phone, but I'm having an issues with all applications that use digital compass (Compass, Google Sky Map, Layar, etc.). All of them are very jumpy. If I open up Google Sky Map, stand still and slowly turn, the map is jumping every few seconds, it doesn't smoothly rotate with me. I just compared it to my broser's Evo and it's like night and day. His phone is rotating the map very smoothly with no visible jumps, and on mine you can clearly notice jumps all the time. Is this happening to everyone, or my phone just have defective digital compass? Or is this an accelerometer issue all together?

Am I the only one having this issue? Should I go exchange my phone then?

I think the compass is wonky on all Captivates, and maybe all Galaxy S phones. We're hoping for a software update to fix it.

Ya I am also having this problem. I have tryed out some racing games and some other games that are not playable. I have downloaded some of the sensor test apps and they jump all over the place. Sky maps is also the same. It seems to be the magnetic sensor and the 6 axis. I don't see them using a cheap sensor and then hyping it in the ads and on the box. I am thinking it probibly a software issue as none of the other phones had this type of sensor.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Am I the only one not having problems then? Well at least on the compass I am not, have tried any accelerometer games
Edit: My accelerometer is fine also, it seems to me a good way to check is a game like Labyrinth Lite that is solely the accelerometer for control, and that game is very playable which it wouldn't be with the problems you guys are having...

My Compass works perfectly, any gyro or accelerometer based game works perfectly, it's only Google Sky that seems to be a bit jumpy. And it doesn't jump "all over the place," rather it just is jittery while it is being moved about. However I noticed the same jitteriness on my friend's Droid, so it may just be a problem with Google Sky in general.

asrrin29 said:
My Compass works perfectly, any gyro or accelerometer based game works perfectly, it's only Google Sky that seems to be a bit jumpy. And it doesn't jump "all over the place," rather it just is jittery while it is being moved about. However I noticed the same jitteriness on my friend's Droid, so it may just be a problem with Google Sky in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just tried google sky on my captivate and it also is jerky like yours. Is your friend's droid the first moto droid? About a month ago, I was looking at my sister's moto droid (1st gen) and google sky worked perfectly.

asrrin29 said:
My Compass works perfectly, any gyro or accelerometer based game works perfectly, it's only Google Sky that seems to be a bit jumpy. And it doesn't jump "all over the place," rather it just is jittery while it is being moved about. However I noticed the same jitteriness on my friend's Droid, so it may just be a problem with Google Sky in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google Sky Map doesn't jump all over the place for me, it also just jittery (when you move slowly), but Layar does. So does the Compass app... It becomes a bit better if you run any of the accelerometer test apps in the background, but even then it's a bit jumpy... Hoping for a software fix for this some time in the future.

Similar issues
I own a Captivate, and I am a serious astronomy buff and was very excited to try out google sky. but when I tried it out I discovered it was very jumpy when I used it casually indoors during the day. But I was far more disappointed at night. When I tried it then, I started up the program and noticed it was jumpy like before but figured I would just have to live with it. But when I pointed it up at a constellation, I noticed the stars didn't match, and a nice circle labeled "sun" that clearly wasn't there. It wasn't reading the correct position apparently. This problem makes Google Sky almost entirely useless, which is incredibly disappointing.
What makes it worse is my roommate who showed me a similar program on his iPhone 4 that was completely smooth and accurate. Boy did that make me feel like I had the inferior product.
I have also had issues with the jerky compass, and seemingly anything else that deals with the physical position of the phone. For example, the phone on google maps showed me as moving around (seemingly in a path) while I was sitting down, not moving; and the GPS accuracy in general seems fairly low (usually 50-100 ft off-ish).
If these problems can be fixed via software update then I would be MUCH happier with my phone once things worked as well as I would think they are supposed to.
This is particularly important to me also because I am looking to start developing android apps and would want to use and then test apps using these systems. As of right now though, these seem to be far below par.
-TheOnlyMerlin

The compass didn't ever work for me either, would point in random directions and hop all over. Layar was unusable and Yelp's Monacle would never show things in the right direction. Skymap was just a mess.
I just thought the games that you had to tilt the thing sucked, like labyrinth, racing games, etc. Couldn't control any of them.
The two things on the phone I loved were the screen and swype.

hobbbbit said:
Google Sky Map doesn't jump all over the place for me, it also just jittery (when you move slowly), but Layar does. So does the Compass app... It becomes a bit better if you run any of the accelerometer test apps in the background, but even then it's a bit jumpy... Hoping for a software fix for this some time in the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just update Google Earth on my captivate and if I use hardware sensors to control the view, it uses compass to update your view on Google earth and it seems (at least for me) very smooth in comparison to Layar or Google Skymap.

what I've noticed with mine:
mine was jerky as mentioned above.
a simple compass app shows that if I tilt the phone the compass follows, which tells me the app is using the tilt sensors and not the compass.
I flashed jh2 and it worked for a while, but at some point it stopped again. still trying to narrow down why... but this tells me it's a software thing
I'm not sure if it was an app I installed, or maybe it worked until I turned the phone off, not sure, need to do more research, really just hoping our froyo update will fix it

I have the issue too. When you go into the test app even with the phone sitting on a table the compass heading is constantly changing. Its an issue with all captivates.

I was a vibrant owner and had the same issues. To my knowledge, this problem is evident in all US galaxy s phones. The epic may have avoided the bug due to its later release. Samsung is supposedly pushing out a fix for the GPS and we're all hoping they will address the totally laggy compass too. There are YouTube videos demonstrating the problem on the vibrant. Cross your fingers but know you're not alone.

I've certainly noticed this problem too with the compass. The six-axis seems fine though.
Mostly I've found that how you hold the phone effects the interference with the compass. I've done a side by side comparison with a real high quality compass (both phone and compass calibrated to magnetic north) and the Captivate isn't all that bad after it's "settled" and on a level non-metallic surface. It's just the quick movement or change of direction that really seems to throw it off.

Hey all - I don't mean to bring this long dead thread back to life, but I figured it was better than starting a new one.
Has anyone figured anything out with the jittery compass issues?
I've only had my Captivate for a week, but am definitely dealing w/ the jitters (let alone the GPS issue).
I've found that it can be demonstrated pretty well using the sensor test on the phone (*#0*# -> Sensor) - it displays the data from the magnetic sensor... on mine, X, Y, and Z coordinates are all bouncing up and down within a couple of points.
Any thoughts or advice on this?
I'm still well within the first 30 days.

yourtvlies said:
Hey all - I don't mean to bring this long dead thread back to life, but I figured it was better than starting a new one.
Has anyone figured anything out with the jittery compass issues?
I've only had my Captivate for a week, but am definitely dealing w/ the jitters (let alone the GPS issue).
I've found that it can be demonstrated pretty well using the sensor test on the phone (*#0*# -> Sensor) - it displays the data from the magnetic sensor... on mine, X, Y, and Z coordinates are all bouncing up and down within a couple of points.
Any thoughts or advice on this?
I'm still well within the first 30 days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you update to JH7 yet? I heard it fixed the compass issue.

gtg465x said:
Did you update to JH7 yet? I heard it fixed the compass issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed I did - I had the opportunity to briefly examine another unit, as well and while I believe it was on JH6, the compass seemed very steady.

Sorry for the bump- but I have a more specific question for people:
Does anyone have a unit where the compass is steady? Either in the sensor test (*#0*#) or elsewhere?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

yourtvlies said:
Sorry for the bump- but I have a more specific question for people:
Does anyone have a unit where the compass is steady? Either in the sensor test (*#0*#) or elsewhere?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If i put it on a flat surface away from any metal then it is almost solid. Some minor movements and now and then. But it is super picky about being near anything metal.

Anyone Else Notice the Compass SUCKS???

Seriously, it sucks.
I got the Compass app and it's so far off it's laughable. I've calibrated it a hundred times... We're talking it saying North is actually West... That far off.

Dude, it's a Captivate, what do you expect?
The phone part works great, just enjoy that!

I think mine works fine. The trembling is annoying.

My compass works just fine. In maps it shows were the phone is pointed. Might be yours.
From a phone on an app

I've seen lag and choppiness in apps that display information directly from the compass (GPS Test, Compass, Google Sky Map), but I've never witnessed wild inaccuracy like you describe.
The JH7 update really improved the performance of my compass. It's still a little choppy, but it updates much more quickly than before. Maybe you're near a large lode of iron or something.

I tested mine by comparing it to a real compass I take along when I go hiking. I've never had any success calibrating it with the infinite-symbol hand gesture; it was always off by a ton as you described. The method I use for calibrating my compass is to spin it on each individual access sequentially. First spin it on the x, then the y, then the z, and then it's usually off by only 2-3 degrees, and that's good enough for a cell phone.

mine sucks too

I noticed right off that depending which way I spin the phone I can get completely different "Norths" up to probably 60 degrees off.

Running Froyo with a new Kernel and ROM and it still sucks...

amtrakcn said:
I think mine works fine. The trembling is annoying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here but the trembling doesn't bother me that much. GPS and tracking work fine for me as well.

mine is really bad, like 180 opposite. im pointing south and its showing the exact opposite direction. pretty awesome. almost missing my iphone 3gs.
oh yeah im cog 2.2.5.5

Some advice about the compass...

Just a heads up with the compass on the S4. I noticed that the compass on my S4 wasn't working. I tried it with several apps including ISS Detector, Mobile Observatory, and GPS status. It just sat there, not showing the correct direction. I then used "GPS Status and Toolbox" (available in the Play store) to calibrate the compass. I just followed the directions and it worked. I now have a working and accurate compass. I would have figured it should have worked fine out of the box and was about to return it when I tried this. I also would have thought they would include an internal means to calibrate it...but I guess not. So you might want to check and see if your compass is actually working out of the box or if you need to calibrate it.

never notice this , i will try it later.:laugh:

Yup. Mine was way off. Thanks for the heads up.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

Mine was constantly pointing northwest before I calibrated, thanks

I had the same problem when I tested mine. Tried the app you recommended and it calibrated successfully and now works. Thanks!

Yea my came out fine. Thanks for the tip!
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4

Wow I never realized mine did not work. Thanks for the tip, it works great now!
For other people, when it says to rotate it on three of it's axis, I flipped the phone horizontally a few times, then in the vertical direction, then I put it on my palm and spun it in a circle a few times. Works great now!

GS3 had compass issues too; this fixed those as well. my old Atrix 4G you had to rotate the phone in all 3 dimensions repeatedly, but it was DEAD on.

Can't find this app in the play store...
Is it listed under something else?
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda premium

switters1 said:
Can't find this app in the play store...
Is it listed under something else?
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This one?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2&hl=en

Mine was way off, too. Thanks for the help!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

Yup, mine was stuck too. Fixed in an instant. Thanks.:laugh:

odinfire said:
Yup, mine was stuck too. Fixed in an instant. Thanks.:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, thank you! This issue was upsetting me, and this fixed it straight away!

Is it normal to need the compass recalibrating every day? Seems every time I fire up a compass application, ir is out of whack!
Is there a permanent solution?

Aitch said:
Is it normal to need the compass recalibrating every day? Seems every time I fire up a compass application, ir is out of whack!
Is there a permanent solution?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had to calibrate mine several times. I haven't found a permanent solution. As long as I calibrate it when it acts whacky, it works fine. It only takes a few seconds. Sometimes I have to do it a couple of times per week, and sometimes I only need to do it once a month or so. I guess it depends on how often you use functions that involve the compass. Regardless, apps like Maps and Navigation work just fine even when the compass isn't calibrated. I guess they get their directions and data in a different way. It's not a huge problem, I guess the compass in the S4 just isn't very strong.

scott14719 said:
I've had to calibrate mine several times. I haven't found a permanent solution. As long as I calibrate it when it acts whacky, it works fine. It only takes a few seconds. Sometimes I have to do it a couple of times per week, and sometimes I only need to do it once a month or so. I guess it depends on how often you use functions that involve the compass. Regardless, apps like Maps and Navigation work just fine even when the compass isn't calibrated. I guess they get their directions and data in a different way. It's not a huge problem, I guess the compass in the S4 just isn't very strong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are all S4's like this? I used to have a case with magnets (which I don't use now) so could that have messed up the compass?

There's something wrong with the compass in google maps.
When google maps is 2d mode where maps are displayed with north at the top on the phone, the arrow on the blue dot is suppose to point to north but I find things seem to be 'doubled'. If I slowly rotate the phone, the arrow rotates doubled by the amount rotated. Example rotate the phone by 90 degrees, the arrow rotates by 180 degrees instead.
But google maps in compass mode, compass seem to work fine as it is displayed correctly.

This tool doesn't change anything here.
I think it's more likely to be (somewhat) accurate when the GPS has the optimal satellite visibility configuration, but most of the time it's just plain random. Always has been on all devices I could check.
UPDATE - if this forum thingy allows me to
Realized the cover was using a magnet to keep closed, it's a really silly design flaw! Now it's behaving better (if not very accurate but that's to be expected).
Bit of help here: check with *#0*#0 then Sensors to see whether your compass needs calibrating or not. If it does, it's written in the small black compass view, in the magnetic sensor area.

Compas fix
Nice one thanks! Compass was totally inoperative until I used app to calibrate. Works perfect now! Galaxy S4 9505

My compass constantly needs recalibration... So frustrating. And it doesn't recalibrate correctly even though I have tried to do it both via GPS Status and *#0*#. I just look stupid for a long amount of time with my hands and arms getting tired because of this inadequate compass in my S4. Never had this problem with my three previous HTCs. Quite like Samsung to give me a bad phone among hundreds of batches.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

Compass, no issue.

I remember somewhere somebody reported issue with compass in our Relay.
Now I found that it is somehow related with other sensors and/or modules.
So if your compass not working properly turn off wifi, data transfer and GPS and try.
Regards
Mac

Makes no difference for me. Everything on or everything off, the compass is still hopelessly miscalibrated after a reboot. Then a calibration cycle gets it approximately right until the next one.

for me also no difference, however i try, google maps with gps is usually going sometimes ok. havent got the clue behind yet

Jax184 said:
Makes no difference for me. Everything on or everything off, the compass is still hopelessly miscalibrated after a reboot. Then a calibration cycle gets it approximately right until the next one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the same boat- if I'm driving, it will correct when it uses the GPS, but standing still, it will be off. I think the issues started after updating one of the stock roms. I think the original stock rom was just fine.
I think Nardholio posted something about going back to stock, ripping the battery out with a solid GPS lock and then upgrading.

gee one said:
I'm in the same boat- if I'm driving, it will correct when it uses the GPS, but standing still, it will be off. I think the issues started after updating one of the stock roms. I think the original stock rom was just fine.
I think Nardholio posted something about going back to stock, ripping the battery out with a solid GPS lock and then upgrading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's only needed if your GPS is totally inoperable.

So the Relay 4G has horrible GPS? Seems to be an ongoing theme with Samsung phones.

Nah, the GPS works fine. It's the compass that's broken.
During the development of our CM rom, it was discovered that the GPS sometimes wouldn't work at all after flashing a custom ROM. This was because the stock ROM had put the GPS to sleep in a way which the custom ROM couldn't wake it from. That's why the battery pull technique was developed. It ensured the GPS was active when you installed the custom ROM.
I don't know if it's still needed or not. I don't think it is. If it is, it would only help you if your GPS doesn't work at all after flashing a custom ROM. If it's intermittent or has poor signal or something, you've got other problems.

Regarding GPS, if I understand correctly, Relay 4G uses both GPS and GLONASS signal, so is the GPS fix considerably quicker than in devices without GLONASS and is the satellite coverage better as well?
I'm particularly interested if there is a noticeable difference in this regard between Samsung Captivate Glide's GPS and Relay 4G's GPS+GLONASS.

Jax184 said:
Nah, the GPS works fine. It's the compass that's broken.
During the development of our CM rom, it was discovered that the GPS sometimes wouldn't work at all after flashing a custom ROM. This was because the stock ROM had put the GPS to sleep in a way which the custom ROM couldn't wake it from. That's why the battery pull technique was developed. It ensured the GPS was active when you installed the custom ROM.
I don't know if it's still needed or not. I don't think it is. If it is, it would only help you if your GPS doesn't work at all after flashing a custom ROM. If it's intermittent or has poor signal or something, you've got other problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I...don't know the difference between the GPS and the compass. I thought people were using the terms interchangeably, but apparently not.
Solkan said:
Regarding GPS, if I understand correctly, Relay 4G uses both GPS and GLONASS signal, so is the GPS fix considerably quicker than in devices without GLONASS and is the satellite coverage better as well?
I'm particularly interested if there is a noticeable difference in this regard between Samsung Captivate Glide's GPS and Relay 4G's GPS+GLONASS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay...this is very interesting. Differences between GPS and compass aside, this still seems like good news. At least to me, cause GPS is very important to me, and its my understanding that the Captivate Glide's GPS is very hinky. Seems like if you stick with stock you'll be fine. Now, bluetooth, I have no idea how the bluetooth is on the Relay (stock or custom ROM), but at least the GPS is good and even better with this GLONASS.

The compass is a standalone chip that detects the earths magnetic fields and tells the device which way it's oriented. But Samsung screwed something up, and every time the phone boots it's way out of calibration. You can fix it by taking it through a quick calibration cycle, and then all's right with it until the next reboot.
The compass and the GPS work together for things like maps. With the compass miscalibrated, the indicator on the map will often show that you're facing a compass direction other than what you really are. And it'll sometimes act as though you're walking backwards when moving at low speeds. But the actual GPS position and tracking are correct, it just has no idea what way you're facing. Again, a compass calibration will fix this.

Jax184 said:
The compass is a standalone chip that detects the earths magnetic fields and tells the device which way it's oriented. But Samsung screwed something up, and every time the phone boots it's way out of calibration. You can fix it by taking it through a quick calibration cycle, and then all's right with it until the next reboot.
The compass and the GPS work together for things like maps. With the compass miscalibrated, the indicator on the map will often show that you're facing a compass direction other than what you really are. And it'll sometimes act as though you're walking backwards when moving at low speeds. But the actual GPS position and tracking are correct, it just has no idea what way you're facing. Again, a compass calibration will fix this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay...I've actually been experiencing that lately with my Epic 4G on Cyanogenmod, but I blame that more on the most recent update of Google Maps which changed the entire interface than I do the ROM (I'm on the most recent stable release and before the Google Maps update GPS worked perfectly). But that's still something I'll save for that board. But what you described is exactly what I've been experiencing, the Navigation seems to work, but it takes a while for the indicator (the red arrow) to face the right direction. Since I use it to drive around my own town its not that big a deal, but if I ever go out of town, yeah it could be an issue.
Someone on one of the Relay 4G boards here opened up his Relay 4G and showed exactly where the metal components are, and how with some tweaking it may correct it without calibration...but with my luck I'd break the thing permanently.
I do wonder why the Relay 4G is like this...my only guess is that Samsung was trying to rush it out and didn't have the time to properly test it? I know it was supposed to be called something else (Blaze Q or something). But the funny thing is, even with this "error" (which from the sounds of it is easily remedied), it still seems like more of the spiritual successor to the Epic 4G than I originally thought the Captivate Glide was, or at least an Epic 4G if it was GSM. 5 rows of keys, same shape...I just don't know why this phone isn't more successful than it is. At least you can get it on eBay, new, for about $200-$300. I haven't been inside a T-mobile store in years so I don't know if they regularly keep them in stock or not. But its still available. That Captivate Glide is still available for less than $200, but with its issues with GPS and bluetooth...I don't know, seriously thinking about this phone now.
Anyway, thanks for the response. And by the way, how is the bluetooth on this phone?
EDIT: Herp derp, it was YOU who opened up their Relay 4G! My apologies, sometimes these boards blur together.

Bluetooth seems okay, but I only have one bluetooth device, so I'm hardly an expert.
The guys working on our CM ROM are trying to improve performance when both wifi and bluetooth are in use at the same time. Since they're both 2.4 GHz, they tend to step on each others toes if both are on at once.
You should try a compass calibration on the Epic to see if that helps with the pointer. First step away from large metal and electrical objects, so you're in a fairly clean magnetic environment. Then open up an app that uses the compass, like Metal Sniffer. Then, while keeping the screen on, slowly and smoothly rotate the phone 3 times around each axis. End over end 3 times, then side to side 3 times, then around and around 3 times.
At the end of it, the pointer should now point north.
On the Relay, the values of the magnetic field strength are all totally out of whack before you do this, and they suddenly drop to more rational levels after the calibration.

Jax184 said:
Bluetooth seems okay, but I only have one bluetooth device, so I'm hardly an expert.
The guys working on our CM ROM are trying to improve performance when both wifi and bluetooth are in use at the same time. Since they're both 2.4 GHz, they tend to step on each others toes if both are on at once.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah okay. Though I can't remember the last time I tried to use both at once. Also, since the Relay 4G actually has a stock JB rom, what benefits would there be getting CM instead? I'm only on CM for the Epic 4G because Samsung/Sprint stopped updating it with Gingerbread.
You should try a compass calibration on the Epic to see if that helps with the pointer. First step away from large metal and electrical objects, so you're in a fairly clean magnetic environment. Then open up an app that uses the compass, like Metal Sniffer. Then, while keeping the screen on, slowly and smoothly rotate the phone 3 times around each axis. End over end 3 times, then side to side 3 times, then around and around 3 times.
At the end of it, the pointer should now point north.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. The folks on the other board said it was an issue with the updated Google Maps app as opposed to the GPS/compass itself, and suggested a downgrade. I may try both solutions, though to be honest with you there's a huge learning curve with the most recent update to Google Maps (for instance still can't figure out how to get it to record my current location, which came in handy with the previous versions if I ever came across a place or store I wanted to visit again).
On the Relay, the values of the magnetic field strength are all totally out of whack before you do this, and they suddenly drop to more rational levels after the calibration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speaking of that calibration trick, where is it described in detail around here?

EpicMikeNC said:
Speaking of that calibration trick, where is it described in detail around here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was it! :laugh:
The CM ROM is faster and trimmer than the stock ROM, and fixes a couple of bugs and annoyances. No touchwiz interface, no t-mobile tethering lockout, no samsung bloatware. And while it does have a few bugs of its own, it's under active development by several people, so it's rapidly improving.

Jax184 said:
That was it! :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh. lol Ok, thought what you described for the Epic 4G was different, not the same. Gotcha. :good:
The CM ROM is faster and trimmer than the stock ROM, and fixes a couple of bugs and annoyances. No touchwiz interface, no t-mobile tethering lockout, no samsung bloatware. And while it does have a few bugs of its own, it's under active development by several people, so it's rapidly improving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I know from my experience with the Epic 4G, you can remove the bloatware with Titanium backup and tether via an ap (if you mean hotspot tether). But at least there's options, stock or CM.
Still don't get why this phone isn't more successful than it is.

Compass is wacky on mine
On my Relay, the compass is off in bizarro land, and has been since I bought it. Stock ICS/unrooted, or stock JB/unrooted, same problem. It doesn't seem to hold calibration at all, and I can even notice that it very slowly spins as I drive. On those times I've tried Google Maps 7 (yuuuuck!), I've noticed that it cheerfully ignores your GPS heading and points the arrow to your alleged compass heading. Between the large amount of change-for-change's-sake UI stupidity, the compass problem, and its general crashiness, I've ditched the update and gone back to the original version.
I've just rooted it yesterday, but I seriously doubt that rooting would make any difference with the compass.

Bobby Tables said:
On my Relay, the compass is off in bizarro land, and has been since I bought it. Stock ICS/unrooted, or stock JB/unrooted, same problem. It doesn't seem to hold calibration at all, and I can even notice that it very slowly spins as I drive. On those times I've tried Google Maps 7 (yuuuuck!), I've noticed that it cheerfully ignores your GPS heading and points the arrow to your alleged compass heading. Between the large amount of change-for-change's-sake UI stupidity, the compass problem, and its general crashiness, I've ditched the update and gone back to the original version.
I've just rooted it yesterday, but I seriously doubt that rooting would make any difference with the compass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you root by the way? One-Click?
But yeah, based on what you just said, I'm convinced its the update, not the compass. I don't understand how Google went backwards in regards to this so-called update to Google maps. But the Metal Sniffer solution seems to work, 9 times out of 10 anyway.
Also, I keep looking and looking, but unless I'm still missing it, didn't the update take away to ability to save your current location?

The bootloader is unlocked, there is no reason to run a rooting script. Just flash CWM with Odin/Heimdall and then supersu

I'm having a very similar experience here on CM 10.2 nightlies. Calibrating the compass doesn't always work. When it does it doesn't always stick. And when it sticks, it will be very jumpy, skipping from one direction to the other at random. This prevents compass mode in Google Maps, so it's annoying but not such a huge deal.

[Q] Compass Accuracy

How accurate should the compass be on this phone? When I'm driving using google maps it is usually off by about 30 degrees with the blue arrow in front of the circle rarely aligned with the direction I'm traveling on the road. Same at home, standing outside, it could be even worse, 90 or almost 180 deg in the wrong direction at times.
I tried the calibration with the figure 8 and rotating on the three axis, it seems to help for a time but then the compass is back to incorrect readings.
I'm not sure what I should expect. This is a new phone, about a week old as I just replaced one with a fault GPS. I'd like to know if these are just not too accurate or if I have another faulty device. I had the google case with the magnetic cover and noticed the compass apps would show a very high reading with the cover bent back so I have the phone out of the cover. Same problem after calibration. Even tried safe mode.

mgerbasio said:
How accurate should the compass be on this phone? When I'm driving using google maps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's been off by some, and it often mistakenly thinks I'm facing backwards, and tells me to make a u-turn.
Sent from my Nexus 5