Difference between orientation sensor and magnetic field sensor on Android?

android orientation magnetometer digital-compass
devpg picture devpg · Nov 2, 2010 · Viewed 9.3k times · Source

Does anyone know the difference between the orientation sensor and magnetic field sensor on Android?

My understanding:

  • orientation => digital compass
  • magnetic field => magnetometer

Since I've read that magnetometer is synonymous with digital compass I'm a little bit confused. What are they really?

Answer

Guffa picture Guffa · Nov 2, 2010

The magnetic field sensor is the compass.

The orientation sensor is a combination between the magnetic field sensor, and gravity sensors. It tells you the angle of the phone relative to the ground (pitch and roll) and the direction (compass).

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