Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can I install it ?

You can install it directly from the App Store.

Q: Why do you want money for this application ?

I like eating and paying my bills. (that was cheesy). Ok, I'll have to admit it, I want to get very rich. So, please spend the buck, you won't be throwing it away.

Q: Why is it so expensive ?

It has the minimum price that can be set at the moment. If you would like to get it for free please write an email with the subject "Free SunCompass" to suncompass@longneck.ro and I will consider giving it away if there's enough people who want that. Please also accept the fact that I will email notifications whenever I release another wonderful app. I will not sell your email address as I'm not a bad person.

Q: Where’s the sun ?

The sun is the bright ball in the sky and it should be visible during daytime. Staring at the sun will hurt your eyes, so please don’t do it.

Q: What to do if I can’t see the sun or the moon ?

During daytime if the sky is clear you will be able to see the direction of shadows.

If it's night, tap on the sun to find out how much time you have to wait until sunrise. (*upgrade coming soon)

Q: Why would I need to find North ?

Other than beeing cool ?

Q: No, seriously. Why would I need to find North ?

You can use Google Maps to find where you are and where you need to go, but this information is only described on the map. There is no connection to the real world.
On the map North means Up. With Sun Compass you can also find North in real life.

Q: Can I use a regular compass to find North ?

Sure you can, but keep in mind that a compass doesn't point to True North which is what you need when using a map. A regular compass points to Magnetic North which is in deep trouble now with the pole shifting and all that weird stuff happening. It should be more reliable to use the sun as a reference. (At least that's what I think). The difference between Magnetic North and True North is called Magnetic Declination. Please check the links to Wikipedia for more info.

Q: How to set my location ?

By default, Sun Compass will try to detect your location automatically. If that doesn't work you will need to enter it manually.

Q: How to manually set my location ?

Tap the "i" button in the lower right corner of the screen.
Turn OFF the Auto detect location switch.
Enter your City, State or Country and tap Search.
Sun Compass will get the latitude and longitude from Google Maps. You will need an internet connection.
Tap Done and you're set.

You can also directly type in the latitude and longitude.
Negative values mean South or West while positive values are North or East.

Known issue : Entering "LA" will return the coordinates for Laos, the country near Vietnam and Thailand. Please use "LA, California" or "Los Angeles".

Q: How to check if my location is right ?

The accuracy of the location is not vital unless you're near the ecuator and it's noon. You can have

Sometimes the iPod touch reports completely wrong location data. This might happen if you're near a Wireless Access Point or Router which has been moved. It's not Apple's fault as the iPod doesn't have built-in hardware (GPS) to detect location. Detecting location is something they do to make things easier for you. If something seems odd (like the fact that it's daytime but SunCompass shows it's night) please press the [Show on Google Maps] button and check if you're in the right location.

Q: How do I know the Time and Date are correct ?

If your iPhone is set to automatically adjust the time and date (the default setting) you should be ok. Otherwise, go to Settings / General / Date & Time / Set Date & Time. Also make sure you're in the right time zone.

Q: Who are you ?

My name is Vlad Lungu, I'm 27 years old and living in Bucharest, Romania I'm now working full time on developing iPhone applications and I love it.