True North vs. Magnetic North: What's the Difference?

Short answer: true north is the fixed direction toward the geographic North Pole. Magnetic north is the direction a compass needle points, toward Earth's wandering magnetic north pole — and the two are rarely exactly the same direction. The angle between them, at any given location, is called magnetic declination.

Why They're Different

Earth's magnetic field isn't perfectly aligned with its rotational axis. The magnetic north pole sits in a different, slowly shifting location from the geographic North Pole. A compass needle responds only to the magnetic field, so it points at magnetic north — not true north — unless something corrects for the difference.

What Is Magnetic Declination?

Magnetic declination is the angle between true north and magnetic north at a specific location. It's positive (east) in some regions and negative (west) in others, and it changes gradually year to year as the magnetic pole drifts. In some places declination is close to zero; in others it exceeds 15 degrees, which is enough to matter for precise navigation.

To find the current declination for your location, use NOAA's free magnetic declination calculator — enter a location or coordinates and it returns the up-to-date value.

Does Our Compass App Show True or Magnetic North?

Compass displays the magnetometer's heading, which is magnetic north — it is not GPS- or declination-corrected to true north. For everyday orientation this is usually fine; for a task where a few degrees of error matters, apply your location's declination from the NOAA calculator above, or consult a dedicated navigation tool designed for that purpose.

If the heading looks off entirely rather than just offset by declination, it's more likely a calibration or interference issue — see how to calibrate your phone's compass first.

Sources

• NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, "Magnetic Field Calculators" — https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/calculators/magcalc.shtml