Find Your Qibla Direction

How to use the Qibla compass

• Mobile (best accuracy): Tap Enable live compass. Hold your phone flat like a tray. Slowly turn your whole body until the green arrow points straight up. That direction is Makkah.
• Desktop: Note the bearing shown (e.g. 136° South-East). Open your phone's compass app and face that direction.
• Cross-check with sunrise (East) or sunset (West) as natural landmarks.
• For congregation prayers, confirm with a physical compass if possible.

🎯 Tips for best compass accuracy

• Hold phone flat (horizontal, like a tray) — tilting causes the magnetometer to misread.
• Calibrate first — if the ring wobbles, slowly move your phone in a figure-8 shape a few times to re-calibrate the sensor.
• Move away from metal — steel desks, radiators, metal window frames and large appliances distort the magnetic field and cause drift of several degrees.
• Keep electronics away — laptops, speakers, and other phones held close interfere with the compass sensor.
• Avoid reinforced concrete walls — steel rebar inside walls can deflect readings by 5–15°.
• A few degrees off is normal — a 3–5° variation is within standard compass tolerance. Scholars consider a small deviation acceptable for prayer.
• Magnetic vs. true North — the compass uses magnetic North. In most of the world the difference (magnetic declination) is small and does not affect prayer direction meaningfully.

Why does Qibla direction differ by city?

Earth is a sphere, so the shortest path (great circle) from different cities to Makkah points in different compass directions. The formula uses your city's latitude and longitude relative to the Kaaba's coordinates (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E).

Today’s Prayer Times in São Tomé

View full prayer timetable for São Tomé →