Why a GPS Compass Needs Movement

A GPS compass needs movement because it reports your direction of travel, rather than the direction the phone is pointing. When you stop, there is no current travel direction to measure. NitroHUD uses this kind of heading, so its Compass can show a dash before a heading is available or keep a previous direction after you stop.

GPS heading vs. compass heading

The distinction matters whenever the phone and your movement point different ways. Imagine traveling east while a passenger holds the phone with its top edge facing north: the GPS heading describes the eastward journey. Rotating that phone does not change the journey. A magnetic compass measures orientation instead. The same distinction applies when reversing: your direction of travel can be opposite the direction the front of the vehicle faces. Read NitroHUD’s Compass as travel direction.

Why waiting in one place does not establish a direction

A location tells you where you are; it does not, by itself, say which way you are traveling. GPS-based direction can be unreliable at a standstill or at very low speeds. Waiting longer in the same parking space therefore does not solve the missing movement. If your immediate question is which way to face before setting off, use an orientation compass. You do not need to start driving just to answer that question.

Where to find the reading in NitroHUD

Open Tools and find the Compass card. It shows a dash when no heading is available, then a rounded degree value and a direction abbreviation when a heading is available. The Compass card is available without PRO. The free Solo layout also includes a Compass card on Drive. These displays use the same heading, so switching between them does not provide a separate stationary compass or a second measurement to compare against the first.

Why a slow walk may still leave a dash

NitroHUD accepts a new heading only when the phone supplies a heading value and the speed used for that update exceeds 1.5 meters per second, equivalent to 5.4 km/h or about 3.4 mph. A slow walk may therefore leave the Compass unchanged. This cutoff controls whether the app updates the heading; it does not guarantee accuracy above that speed. Keep to a comfortable, safe pace when checking on foot, and never accelerate a vehicle just to make the Compass update.

A direction that stays on screen can be an old reading

After NitroHUD has received a heading, stopping does not automatically replace it with a dash. The previous direction can remain visible when movement is too slow, new updates omit heading, or location updates stop. The Compass does not label that value with a separate heading age. Even a fresh location update does not prove the displayed heading was refreshed. If a number stays fixed while you turn the parked phone, treat it as a previous travel direction, not a live indication of where the phone faces.

How to read degrees and direction letters

GPS heading uses true north as its reference and counts clockwise: 0° is north, 90° east, 180° south, and 270° west. NitroHUD rounds the number to whole degrees and assigns one of eight labels: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, or NW. Those letters group nearby angles, so the degree number can change without the letter changing. For example, a heading of 80° and one of 100° both receive the E label.

Separate missing heading from missing location

On Drive, check the GPS status as well as the Compass. Messages such as Acquiring GPS…, Location is off, GPS unavailable, or Last fix followed by an elapsed time describe the location feed. If location is off, enable it before checking again; if reception is poor, try an outdoor place with a clear view of the sky. If speed and location update but heading stays blank, the phone may not be supplying heading. NitroHUD does not calculate a replacement heading from successive positions when that value is missing.

Check travel direction without handling the phone while driving

Set up the display while parked and make sure DEMO DRIVE is off. If you later check during an ordinary journey, secure the phone beforehand and let a passenger observe it, or wait until parked to inspect it. Compare the reading with the direction traveled along a straight section, rather than which edge of the phone faces forward. A demo shows simulated direction and cannot verify reception. After using a demo, wait for a new real heading before treating any retained direction as part of your journey.

When you need a compass that works while stationary

Use a compass app that explicitly supports the phone’s magnetic sensor, if your device has one, or a separate physical compass. NitroHUD does not switch its Compass to magnetic sensing when you stop, and it has no magnetic-compass calibration control. The Set forward button under G-force meter belongs to that meter; it does not establish north or calibrate GPS heading. Choose the instrument according to whether you need travel direction or the direction you are facing now.