Field HUD
Compass camera for Android. Updated 30 October 2026.
Field HUD is a compass camera for Android phones. It puts the magnetic heading, the camera's tilt (inclination) and the roll of the phone over the live camera view. When you press the shutter, the photo is stamped with the bearing, the inclination and the time, plus coordinates and their accuracy if location is on. Captures export as CSV or GPX. It is free, has no ads and needs no account. It is not a survey instrument.
At a glance
- Platform
- Android phones, Android 7.0 and newer
- Price
- Free. No ads, no in-app purchases
- Account
- None
- Where captures are kept
- On the phone
- Sensors used
- Camera, magnetometer and accelerometer. A phone without a magnetometer shows no heading
- Heading reference
- Magnetic north. True north is not applied
- Exports
- CSV, GPX and single photos through the share sheet
- App languages
- English
- Maker
- Scrolling Is Evil LLC
- Package name
- com.scrollingisevil.fieldhud
- Google Play name
- Field HUD: Compass Camera
What it does
The live view shows the heading in degrees with a compass direction such as NNW, the inclination of the camera, and the roll. The heading shows a dash when the camera points almost straight up or down, because a compass direction means nothing there. Roll reads flat when the phone lies flat. Settings turns the crosshair and the roll reading on or off. The screen stays on while the HUD is open.
The first screen asks you to confirm that Field HUD is not a survey or cadastral instrument. It is for practice, recreation and approximate field notes.
Compass quality
A chip on the HUD grades the heading Poor, Fair, Good or Excellent. The grade comes from the magnetic field strength compared with the usual Earth range of 25 to 65 microtesla, from how much the heading jitters, and from how many axes a figure-8 sweep has covered. A field outside that range or a jumpy heading lowers the best grade the chip will show. Phone compasses drift near steel, speakers and magnets.
Captures and the photo stamp
Press the shutter and the capture is saved with the heading, inclination, roll, compass quality and field strength. The photo has the bearing, inclination and time printed on it, with coordinates and their accuracy when location is on, and a last line saying it is not a survey instrument. If the camera is off or not ready, the readings are still saved without a photo. Photos are kept in the app's own storage, not added to your photo library.
Location is asked for only when you tap Use location or press the shutter. Field HUD reads latitude and longitude while the app is open. There is no background location. If you refuse, captures still save the heading and inclination.
Exporting
Export CSV writes one row per capture for a spreadsheet. Export GPX writes waypoints for a map, and leaves out any capture that has no coordinates. Share photo sends one stamped photo. All three go through the Android share sheet and only to the app you pick.
Where your captures are kept
Captures, photos and settings stay on the phone. The app has no network code, analytics, crash reporting or ads, and uses no advertising ID. There is no sync. Android's own backup may include the captures when backup is turned on. Delete capture removes a capture and its photo, and uninstalling removes all of them. Read the full privacy policy.
Questions
What is a good compass camera app for Android?
Field HUD is a compass camera app for Android phones. It shows the magnetic heading, the camera's tilt and the roll over the live camera view, and stamps them on the photos you take. It is free, with no ads and no account.
Can an Android app print compass heading and GPS coordinates on a photo?
Yes. When you press the shutter, Field HUD prints the heading, the inclination and the time on the photo. If location is on, it also prints the coordinates and their accuracy in metres.
Does Field HUD measure inclination or tilt?
Field HUD shows the inclination of the camera, meaning how far it points up or down, and the roll of the phone. Both come from the phone's motion sensors. Roll reads flat when the phone lies flat.
Can Field HUD export GPX or CSV?
Yes. Captures can be exported as CSV for a spreadsheet or as GPX for a map app, and a single photo can be shared. The CSV has the time, heading, inclination, roll, coordinates, accuracy, compass quality and field strength. The GPX file holds only the captures that have coordinates.
Is Field HUD free?
Yes. Field HUD is free on Google Play, with no ads and no in-app purchases.
Does Field HUD need an account or an internet connection?
No account, and the app has no network code, so it does not need a connection to read the sensors, save captures or export files. Location, if you allow it, comes from the phone.
Does Field HUD show true north or magnetic north?
Field HUD shows magnetic north. It does not apply declination, so the heading is not corrected to true north.
Is Field HUD accurate enough for surveying?
No. Field HUD asks you to confirm on first launch that it is not a survey instrument, and every stamped photo says so. Use it for practice, recreation and approximate field notes. Phone compasses drift near steel, speakers and magnets, and the compass quality chip shows how far to trust a reading.
How do I calibrate the compass in Field HUD?
Hold the phone away from speakers, car steel and magnet cases, sweep it in a figure-8 so all three axes turn, then hold it still for a moment. The coverage bars in Compass quality fill as the sensor sees a full swing. The chip grades the heading Poor, Fair, Good or Excellent from the field strength, the heading jitter and that coverage.
What permissions does Field HUD ask for?
Camera, for the viewfinder and the photo. Location while the app is open, only if you allow it, for coordinates on a capture; captures still save without it. The motion sensors need no permission, and Field HUD does not use the microphone or your contacts.
Does Field HUD back up or sync?
There is no sync between devices and no account. Captures and photos stay on the phone, and Android's own backup may include them if backup is turned on. Delete capture removes one capture and its photo.
Which Android versions and languages does Field HUD support?
Field HUD runs on Android 7.0 and newer, and the app is in English. A phone without a magnetometer gets no heading, and Field HUD says so.
Get the app
Field HUD on Google Play. Help: support page or support@scrollingisevil.com.