I'm sceptical. You can actually use the upper button on the left side of the app pictured in the article [1] to calibrate that app. So you could make it show whatever inaccuracies you wanted. And it's far from an "unfixable sensor problem" that "would put a dent in Apple's reputation".
Also, analog bubble levels aren't always perfectly accurate either.
According to users in the thread about this on macrumors, the error isn't linear, and if you calibrate it, you still get inaccurate readings once it's off-level.
> The issue is that it cannot be calibrated out. I've tried,
> it can't be done. You can zero it in one orientation but then
> the error is doubled in the opposite orientation.
Because the sensor inside every individual iPhone/iPod touch could be built slightly differently, to make the level more accurate for your device, you need to calibrate before use.
To calibrate:
1. Find a flat surface.
2. Hold your device upright (in portrait mode and home button at the bottom), put the bottom edge of the device on the flat surface, then press Calibrate button (the one with a target image on it) to calibrate the portrait mode.
3. Turn your device 90 degree clockwise (now it should be in landscape mode and home button on the left hand side), again keep it upright, and put the current bottom edge (long edge) on the flat surface, then press Calibrate button to calibrate the landscape mode.
4. Put the back of the device against the surface, then press Calibration button to calibrate the face-up mode
Apple’s built-in compass (which has not calibration) also shows many devices to be off. I’m not sure why that person chose a third-party app to show this off.
No to mention that it might not be an Apple problem, but an industry-wide problem. I've tried to replicate this on a brand new Sony Xperia Z1. It marks -2 degrees on a flat surface. Never occurred to me to test these things before.
Offtopic, but I like how the article calls the 5C "relatively inexpensive"; it's still a high-end (priced) device that looks intentionally low-price / less refined.
I'm not entirely sure why this is a big deal right now. I had an iPhone 1 and when the App Store opened up I downloaded Cube Runner. The accelerometer calibration was off by A LOT. Just keeping my phone flat on the table would cause the ship to shoot off far to the left.
I actually had to replace my iPhone at the Genius Bar (I think more than once) in order to get one that worked better.
Since that was over 5 years ago it is very unlikely that Apple will now decide to offer software calibration in the OS.
As for this comment from the article
> Unfixable sensor problems, however, would put a dent in Apple’s reputation as the company that sweats the small stuff to get every last detail right.
Surely this is easy to test? Is the level always off by the same magnitude, in the same direction, for any given phone? Would be nice if the parent article had tested this...
If a particular phone is always off by, say, 3.5º it's presumably an easy fix, though, as you say, would require everyone to run a calibration on their phone.
It seems like my 5S is consistently off by the same amount (about 3°) in the same direction. Seems to me like a software fix will be possible. I have two years warranty, so I’m not too worried at this point, only slightly annoyed.
Have the sensors ever been good? I've always found the compass to either constantly lose calibration, or when it finds it, it's a good 90° off where it should be. Since they introduced the hardware in the iPhone 4, essentially.
Apple has a calibration process that doesn't require a flat surface. The first time you go to the "level" app (it's a right swipe from compass) - you are asked to spin a little virtual ball in a circle (kind of like a roulette wheel) - after three or four spins it's calibrated and (at least on my iPhone 5) works as a dead level.
Anybody with an iPhone 5S see the problem? My iPhone 5 is dead level on when I put it on a known-level surface in portrait, landscape format, or flush flat - well, to within 1 degree (I don't get 1/2 degrees on the iPhone 5)
You are required to calibrate it by spinning the "ball" around prior to using it though.
Maybe you're 'holding it properly' or aren't trying to get clicks for heralding 'sensorgate'... or maybe this is another fucking stupid storm in a teacup.
A quick rinse and a new teabag usually sorts it out.
You pretty much have to, every time you launch the built-in compass app. I feel this process is mostly for the compass, not the level.
The 3° are consistent, across multiple tries for several days. I think there will have to be a software fix. Seems like their calibration process in the factory was off or something. No big deal but annoying.
Regardless of what you use the level for, 2.7 degree matters a lot! I can detect something being off by 45 degree using my bare eyes. It's values like 2.7 degree which require to use a level.
2.7 degree off means that if you hang a one feet width shelf on your wall, one edge will be 0.72" higher/lower than the other. Would that matter to you?
Are you serious? If you are hanging a 1.5-meter long painting and you go off by 2.7 degrees (not %, by the way, that would be FAR worse) on the angle, one side will be around 7 centimetres higher that the other.
This is a serious screw up. Hopefully it can be solved with just a recalibration.
I can do the maths. We're not talking about the precision of a measurement tool here but mostly a mediocre input controller for asphalt racing, which I assume is barely noticeable for people playing a game on their couch.
Unfortunately, your narrow view of the use of the sensors in a smartphone isn't indicative of their actual widespread use in many applications hobby and commercial. Heck I remember reading recently about some of the Syrian "rebels" using an iPad to aim mortars. (Note my example isn't something I'd entertain personally!)
I agree with you. IMHO bubble level on a phone is more of a gimmick than a useful thing. Ok to establish approximate value, but noone should be using is as a precision tool. Even for hanging pictures if you want it done properly.
My guess would be that people downvoted you for your reddit-style comments that add nothing to the conversation rather than "the fanbois" taking up for Apple. You aren't new here so I assume you either (a) knew that, or (b) are assigning the blame for the wrong reasons. Had you taken as much time (or put in as much thought) with your original comment as you did with this follow-up, I suspect you would've had upvotes.
[1] https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ihandy-level-free/id29985275...