Gyroscope Test
Tilt and turn your device to check that the orientation sensor responds.
Alpha (compass)
0.0°
Beta (tilt)
0.0°
Gamma (roll)
0.0°
Sensor
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Your test runs locally in your browser. No device data is uploaded.
How to use the gyroscope test
Press start and allow motion access when the browser asks. Tilt the device forward and back, roll it side to side, then turn on the spot. The square on screen should follow each movement and the three angle readings should change independently.
What this test checks
The test reads the browser's device orientation events, which report three angles: alpha is the compass heading, beta is tilt forward and back, and gamma is roll left and right. Together they describe how the device is being held.
Motion access is gated. The sensor only works over HTTPS, and iOS additionally requires explicit permission each session and refuses entirely when Motion & Orientation Access is switched off in Safari settings. If the readings stay flat, rule those out before suspecting the hardware.
Common orientation sensor problems
A compass reading that drifts or jumps is usually magnetic interference from a case clasp, a car mount or a nearby speaker rather than a fault. Angles that never move at all, with permission granted, point at the sensor or its connection. If the sensor reports correctly here but the screen still will not rotate, rotation lock is the likely cause.
Frequently asked questions
- What do alpha, beta and gamma mean?
- They are the three rotation angles the browser reports. Alpha is the compass heading, from 0 to 360 degrees. Beta is tilt forward and back, from -180 to 180. Gamma is roll left and right, from -90 to 90. Turning the device should move each one independently.
- Nothing happens when I tilt my phone. What is wrong?
- Most often permission. iOS requires you to allow motion access each session, and refuses outright if Motion & Orientation Access is turned off in Settings › Safari. The sensor also only works over HTTPS, so a page opened over plain HTTP will report nothing.
- Why does the compass reading drift or jump?
- Alpha is derived partly from the magnetometer, which is disturbed by anything magnetic — a case with a magnetic clasp, a car mount, speakers, or a nearby laptop. Move away from metal and try again before assuming the sensor is faulty.
- My screen does not auto-rotate. Will this test tell me why?
- It will narrow it down. If the angles move correctly here, the sensor is fine and rotation lock is the likely culprit. If they stay flat while permission has been granted, the fault is in the sensor or its connection.
- Does this work on a desktop computer?
- Rarely. Desktops and most laptops have no gyroscope, so the test reports that no sensor values arrived. Convertible laptops with rotating screens are the exception.