Find the Qibla with the Salah Locator compass and calibrate it

To find the Qibla, open Salah Locator's Qibla finder, allow location, hold the phone flat or upright in front of you, and turn until the arrow reaches the marker at the top of the dial. When you are within a few degrees, the heading changes to You're facing the Qibla 🕋. If the app warns that the compass needs calibrating, move the phone in a figure-8 a few times and try again away from metal.

Open the Qibla finder

There are two ways in:

• On the Find tab, tap the compass icon at the top right.
• Or open Profile and tap Qibla finder.

The first time, the screen says Find the Qibla. Tap Use my location and allow location access; the app needs your position to work out the direction of Makkah.

Face the Qibla

1. Hold the phone flat, or upright in front of you. Both work.
2. Read Turn until the arrow reaches the top marker at the top of the screen.
3. Turn your whole body slowly until the arrow points at the small marker at the top of the dial. The Kaaba symbol on the edge of the dial shows where Makkah lies as you turn.
4. When you are lined up, the text changes to You're facing the Qibla 🕋 and the arrow changes colour.

Below the dial, the app shows:

• The bearing, such as 260° W: the direction of the Kaaba in degrees clockwise from true north.
• Kaaba, Makkah · 3,598 km away: the distance from where you stand.
• Your place and coordinates.
• How good your location fix is, for example Live GPS fix · accurate to about 8 m, or Using your last known position if the phone couldn't get a fresh fix.

A phone's compass points to magnetic north, which can be several degrees away from true north. Salah Locator corrects for this difference (the magnetic declination) at your location, so the arrow follows true north.

Calibrate the compass

If you see ⚠ Compass needs calibrating — wave the phone in a figure-8 a few times.:

1. Hold the phone firmly and move it slowly through a figure-8 in the air, as if drawing a sideways 8.
2. Turn your wrist as you go so the phone points in different directions.
3. Repeat three or four times until the warning disappears.

Get a steadier reading

The app's own tip is Keep the phone steady, away from metal or magnets. In practice:

• Step away from steel desks, radiators, cars, fridges and large speakers.
• Take the phone out of any case or car mount with a magnet, and away from laptops.
• Indoors, reinforced concrete can pull a compass off. Near a window or outside is often better.
• If the arrow jumps around, calibrate again and let it settle for a few seconds.

No compass sensor?

Some phones don't have one. The app then shows ⚠ This device has no compass sensor, so the arrow cannot track which way you are facing. The bearing above is still correct — line it up using another compass. Use the degrees shown with a separate compass, or a landmark whose direction you know.

Qibla direction on mosque pages

Every mosque page on sl.abdohoo.app with a map location has a Qibla Direction card. It gives the bearing from that mosque, for example 260° with W from true north, and Direction to the Kaaba, Makkah.

If you use this bearing with an ordinary magnetic compass, remember the compass shows magnetic north. Adjust for your local declination, or use the app, which does it for you.

The Qibla finder works without mobile data; see what works offline. For why compasses drift and other ways to check the direction, read How to find the Qibla direction with your phone.