iLoungeiLounge
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn RSS
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Use
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn RSS
    iLoungeiLounge
    • News
      • Apple
        • AirPlay
        • iCloud
        • iTunes
        • HealthKit
        • HomeKit
        • HomePod
        • iOS 13
        • Apple Pay
        • Apple TV
        • Siri
      • AirPods Pro
      • Apps
        • Apple Music
      • Rumors
      • Humor
      • Technology
        • CES
      • Articles
      • Web Stories
    • iPhone
      • iPhone Accessories
    • iPad
    • iPod
      • iPod Accessories
    • Apple Watch
      • Apple Watch Accessories
    • Mac
      • MacBook Air
      • MacBook Pro
    • Reviews
      • App Reviews
    • How-to
      • Ask iLounge
    • Daily Deals
    iLoungeiLounge

    iPhone 3GS Compass Flakiness: Blame The Hardware, Or The OS?

    By Jeremy HorwitzMay 15, 2021 10:40 am UTC

    Whenever Apple launches a new product, reports of problems with new and old features alike begin to stream in, and the two questions that we always ask are whether they’re widespread, and whether they’re due to user error, software issues, or hardware issues. For instance, iPhone OS 3.0 Wi-Fi problems were so widely reported by iPod touch-using readers that they didn’t seem isolated, and we’ve had the same issues ourselves—clearly not hardware problems because Wi-Fi worked perfectly on the same devices with the prior 1.0 and 2.0 versions of the OS.

    iPhone 3GS Compass Flakiness: Blame The Hardware, Or The OS?

    We’ve noticed that the iPhone 3GS compass is having some issues, too, though the scope and cause of those issues is difficult to quantify. The 3GS units we’ve tested have showed a fairly obvious unreliability in getting Maps or even their own Compass apps to agree on what the “right direction” is, and appear to have a very high degree of susceptibility to in-car magnetic fields. A week or two ago, we stopped by an Apple Store and put three 3GS units on a counter in the same direction, finding that their compasses all seemed to be pointing in somewhat different orientations that were off by single- or double-digit degrees. Repeated re-tests of something we noted in the iPhone 3GS review—Maps’ tendency to show north-south movement down a street as diagonal motion rather than northerly when the compass is activated—have continued to yield the same results in our test cars.

     

    iPhone 3GS Compass Flakiness: Blame The Hardware, Or The OS?

    Now there’s a game out, SurrounDEAD, that optionally uses the Compass for its movement control scheme. It places you in the center of a city filled with zombies and challenges you to turn around and shoot them before they grab you, which they can do from your front, left, right, or back; constant turning is necessary to stop them. With the default control scheme, you turn by tilting the iPhone, which works, but the compass requires you to actually spin around, and all too often doesn’t appear to be properly registering movements. It’s like what we saw when driving around in cars with Maps, only zombies are eating us alive because the compass is wonky.

     

    iPhone 3GS Compass Flakiness: Blame The Hardware, Or The OS?

    Our hope is that Apple will correct these issues with an OS 3.1 update, but the question of whether they’re truly software or hardware specific is going to remain a mystery until then. In the interim, such issues do raise a concern that prior “it just works” Apple products haven’t faced for any significant length of time: how many months should users expect to have to wait until a promised feature of the device or software they just purchased works properly? When an iPod touch’s Wi-Fi goes out in 3.0, but works in 2.2.1, should users be expected to downgrade? Has Apple tested the 3GS compass enough in its labs to know that it can correct whatever the issues currently are? We don’t have the answers, but as users, we’re as anxious as you are to find out.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Jeremy Horwitz
    Jeremy Horwitz
    • Twitter

    Jeremy Horwitz was the Editor-in-Chief at iLounge. He has written over 5,000 articles and reviews for the website and is one of the most respected members of the Apple media. Horwitz has been following Apple since the release of the original iPod in 2001. He was one of the first reviewers to receive a pre-release unit of the device, and his review helped put iLounge on the map as a go-to source for Apple news.

    Latest News
    Check your phone number on iOS and Android
    31 Best iPhone and iPad Games in 2023 
    Turn Your iPad into a Mini Laptop with the Discounted Zagg Messenger Folio 2
    Apple Adds Original iPad Air and Thunderbolt Display to ‘Obsolete’ List
    Apple drops iPhone prices for China’s ‘618’ festival
    Apple TV+ Series ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ to debut October 13
    Airplane Mode: Its Purpose and Proper Use
    Smartify Your Home with the Discounted Meross Dual Outlet HomeKit Smart Plug

    iLounge logo

    iLounge is an independent resource for all things iPod, iPhone, iPad, and beyond. iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, Apple TV, and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc.

    Contact Us: [email protected]

    Tel: +1302-208-9669

    iLounge, 2810 North Church Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 19802, United States.

    • Contact Us
    • Submit News
    • About Us
    • Forums
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Use
    This website is not affiliated with Apple Inc.
    iLounge © 2001 - 2023. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.