Apple Maps "Look Around" compass.

[garote]

Does this look right to you?



This is the flagship phone, running the latest software - iOS 18.1.1. This software is deployed to hundreds of millions of devices around the world. Am I holding it wrong or something??

Comments

[juan_gandhi]

Are you on the Southern hemisphere?

[garote]

No... But would that make a difference?

[juan_gandhi]

Oh. I think I was confused. No, it would not.

[sassa_nf]

Not sure what is wrong. The image looks like you are turning counterclockwise from the North to the South, the compass shows the same, and the letter shows which way the camera is facing.

[garote]

Oh waaait I see what's going on here. I was expecting the red indicator to point in the same direction as the letter indicator.

They have designed the indicator as though it's the top surface of a compass, which has a fixed pointer in the direction of North, and rotates. But you read a compass by looking down at it from above.

This element is rendered in reference to an upright view: That is, a view where "up" is the top of the display, and "down" is the bottom. If you hold a compass the same way, North would point to the sky, and the compass wouldn't work.

Some designer has simplified the compass a bit too much. They need to either remove the letter, or tilt the surface so it's actually in reference to the ground, or both.

[sassa_nf]

Maybe the truth is a bit too hard to handle. Because then we'll end up rendering false perspective, just to make sure boyscouts can navigate correctly while holding the phone upside down above their heads 😹😹😹