Qibla
The Qibla, wherever you are standing
A compass that points to Makkah from your own coordinates, with the bearing written out so you can check it against anything else you use.
A direction given with false confidence is worse than a direction withheld.
What it does
Great-circle bearing
The direction is the true bearing to the Kaaba from where you are, not a flat-map approximation, which matters more the further from Makkah you travel.
It tells you when it cannot be sure
Phone compasses drift near metal and electronics. When the sensor reports low confidence, the app says so instead of quietly pointing somewhere wrong.
Works offline
Your position and a fixed point in Makkah is all the calculation needs.
The rule this is held to
Say when you are not sure
The needle is the phone's magnetometer, and a magnetometer near a laptop or a steel frame is guessing. When the sensor reports low confidence the app says so, rather than quietly pointing somewhere wrong and letting you pray to it.
Worth knowing
- The compass is the phone's, not the app's. Move away from laptops, speakers and steel, and follow the calibration prompt when it appears.
Questions people ask
Why does the needle wobble?
That is the phone's magnetometer, not the app. Move away from laptops, speakers and steel, and if the app shows a calibration prompt, follow it.
Does it need the internet?
No. It needs your location and the compass, both of which are on the device.
Try it yourself
Free on iOS and Android, and a username is all it asks for after you have signed up.