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Compass in Navigation mode facing opposite direction

Former Member over 6 years ago

I am using the watch wth the button on the opposite side to my wrist. I have changed the display settings so the face is the correct orientation. When activating the navigation mode whist walking the arrow faces the correct direction, but when i stop I believe the watch reverts from using the GPS to the compass. The arrow now points in the opposite direction to where it should be. If I wear the watch on it's normal orientation with the button facing tiers my wrist the navigation function works correctly and the arrow points in the correct direction when not moving. I believe this is a bug in the firmware as the display is not inverting the compass direction when the watch is set up to be writ wth the button facing away from the wrist.

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0 matthewschultz92 over 6 years ago

Did you calibrate the compass?

0 jim_m_58 over 6 years ago

This had been an issue since the watch came out. If the button is set to be on the left, the compass is 180 degrees off. I just keep the button on the right.

0 Former Member over 6 years ago

Yes, I have now done the same, but I would prefer the watch to be around the other way in order to give me better access to the side swipe. It should be a simple fix in the firmware, all the other screens have been inverted, it's just the compass one that needs adding.

0 _MHB over 6 years ago

I am also facing the same issue with the button on the left. Its really annoying. There is a GPS compass widget I currently use which allows me to manually switch the direction. But what is the point of that if I truly don't know where North should be?

Is there a way to manually calibrate the compass? I have seen calibration options on other Garmin watches but not on the Vivoactive 3.

0 jim_m_58 over 6 years ago

Seems this was fixed but you have to calibrate the compass when you change sides

"Settings>Sensors & accessories>Compass" on the watch.

0 Snake-Charmer over 6 years ago

I have the same problem. Even after calibration with the button on the left its still 180 degrees out. Oddly though the course displayed is still accurate. Pity about the altimeter. By the time I learn to iron out all the idiosyncrasies of this watch there will be a new model out......Oh!

0 jim_m_58 over 6 years ago

Again, if you switch the button to the other side, you have to re-calibrate the compass. Was the calibration successful? You do a figure 8 while rotating the watch, and flip it over in the center.

0 Former Member over 4 years ago

the problem is still here, i have the button on the left side and the compass is showing 180° wrong. i also tried calibrating it but no luck. it has to be a simple fix!

0 Former Member over 4 years ago

My watch too!

The auto magnetic variation thinks we are in the northern hemisphere. Had Adelaide as 101 deg West variation, when it should be 8 deg East, miles off.

Auto variation SW fault for sure. Funny thing with me, the ABC widget preview was correct, but when you open it it was wrong.

If you enter magnetic variation manually for your area it fixes it.

0 7759313 over 4 years ago

Go into the app, click on the three dots bottom right. Select Garmin Devices, click on the > to the right of your device, Activities & App Management, Widget, Compass & GPS heading, Settings, Untick - Invert Compass. North should now point north in the northern hemisphere.