{"id":400451,"date":"2022-01-28T16:00:07","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T13:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-does-my-phone-know-which-way-im-holding-it\/"},"modified":"2022-01-28T16:00:07","modified_gmt":"2022-01-28T13:00:07","slug":"how-does-my-phone-know-which-way-im-holding-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-does-my-phone-know-which-way-im-holding-it\/","title":{"rendered":"#How Does My Phone Know Which Way I\u2019m Holding It?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a33e06e173b1\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a33e06e173b1\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-does-my-phone-know-which-way-im-holding-it\/#Accelerometer\" >Accelerometer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-does-my-phone-know-which-way-im-holding-it\/#Gyroscope\" >Gyroscope<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-does-my-phone-know-which-way-im-holding-it\/#Magnetometer\" >Magnetometer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-does-my-phone-know-which-way-im-holding-it\/#Three_Sensors_Working_as_One\" >Three Sensors Working as One<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#How Does My Phone Know Which Way I\u2019m Holding It?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-780354\" data-pagespeed-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/phone-axis-1.png?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/phone-axis-1.png?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/phone-axis-1.png?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Hand holding phone with axis.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/woman-hand-holding-black-smartphone-1579932508\">Miss Namfon Samart\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Smartphones do a lot of things that we never think twice about. For example, you can simply turn your phone sideways and it knows to rotate what\u2019s on the screen. That\u2019s super useful, but how does it actually work?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no mystery that smartphones contain a lot of fancy sensors. There\u2019s a sensor for everything from brightness to room m<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ing. There are actually three sensors responsible for detecting the orientation of your phone. Let\u2019s take a look at what they do.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How Does Auto Brightness Work on a Phone or Laptop?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Accelerometer\"><\/span>Accelerometer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The accelerometer is the sensor that most people may be familiar with. As the name suggests, it detects acceleration. The accelerometer detects acceleration in three directions\u2014side-to-side, up\/down, and forward\/backward.<\/p>\n<p>Acceleration is the\u00a0rate at which velocity changes with time. Essentially, the accelerometer is detecting movement. The movement is detected in relation to gravity. That means the accelerometer data would only be at 0 in a free fall. The actual output is gravity + true acceleration.<\/p>\n<p>This is why the accelerometer alone isn\u2019t enough to detect the phone\u2019s rotation. Once the phone starts moving, gravity skews the data. So the accelerometer is actually detecting what is called \u201cperceived gravity.\u201d To get true acceleration, it needs some help.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gyroscope\"><\/span>Gyroscope<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The gyroscope is used to measure how much the device has been rotated and in which direction. Unlike the accelerometer, the gyroscope doesn\u2019t worry about gravity. Its position is only referenced to itself.<\/p>\n<p>This causes a few problems. Every time your device is rotated in a certain direction it is compared to the previous rotation that occurred. Over time, this causes \u201cdrift\u201d to accumulate, which makes the errors get bigger and bigger over time.<\/p>\n<p>Enter the accelerometer. The rotational information from the gyroscope along with the accelerometer\u2019s gravity information enables the device to calculate the true acceleration. The accelerometer is also used to reset the drift that occurs from the gyroscope.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Manually Rotate Your iPhone or iPad Display without Tilting<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Magnetometer\"><\/span>Magnetometer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The last sensor of the trifecta is the magnetometer. A magnetometer is essentially a compass, it can tell you which direction is north. This sensor is used to detect which direction the device is moving in relation to the ground.<\/p>\n<p>However, a magnetometer needs rotational information to calculate which direction the phone is facing. So when it\u2019s combined with the gravitational information and true acceleration, you get the complete picture of which orientation the device is in.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Lock Your iPhone or iPad&#8217;s Screen Orientation<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Three_Sensors_Working_as_One\"><\/span>Three Sensors Working as One<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-780559 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Gyroscope-accelerometer-compass.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Gyroscope, accelerometer, compass\" width=\"650\" height=\"350\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/gyroscope-accelerometer-compass-barometer-on-one-773523253\" data-credittext=\"Igor Podgorny\/Shutterstock.com\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, and barometer on one board. <span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/gyroscope-accelerometer-compass-barometer-on-one-773523253\">Igor Podgorny\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Pretty cool stuff, right? I think many of us assume there is just one sensor that can detect the orientation of the phone, but it\u2019s much more complicated than that. There are three sensors constantly correcting each other and working together.<\/p>\n<p>It just goes to show that the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> inside smartphones is incredibly sophisticated. Things we take for granted and use multiple times a day are thanks to finely-tuned sensors and complex calculations. You\u2019ll have a new respect the next time you turn your phone to watch a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a> video.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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For example, you can simply turn your phone sideways and it knows to rotate what\u2019s on the screen. That\u2019s super useful, but how does it actually work? It\u2019s no mystery&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":400452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/phone-axis-1.png?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-400451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=400451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400451\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/400452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=400451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=400451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=400451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}