Gyroscope Test — Check Every Axis on Your Phone
This device is not sending any motion readings. That is normal on a desktop or a laptop, because almost none of them have a gyroscope. On a phone it usually means the browser was refused permission, or the page was opened over an insecure connection. Open it on a phone, allow motion access when asked, and make sure the address starts with https.
- Pitch (front-back)
- —
- Roll (left-right)
- —
- Heading
- —
- Peak rotation
- —
- Acceleration
- —
- Readings received
- 0
- Front-back responds
- Left-right responds
- Turning responds
Some axes have responded and at least one has not. Keep going first, because an axis you have not moved enough will look dead. If one still refuses after you have deliberately moved it, that is the symptom worth acting on, and it is the one a combined number would have hidden.
About the Gyroscope Test
There are two different failures behind a phone that will not rotate its screen, and most sensor pages cannot tell them apart. One is a device with no gyroscope at all, which is almost every desktop and laptop. The other is a device that has one where a single axis has stopped answering, which is what happens after a drop or a screen replacement.
This page separates them. Press start and it begins reading tilt and rotation. If nothing arrives within a couple of seconds it says so plainly and tells you the likely reason, rather than sitting there showing zeros. If readings do arrive, it lights a lamp for each of the three axes as soon as that axis has actually moved.
Those lamps are the diagnostic part. A single dead axis never shows up in a combined figure, because the other two keep the numbers moving. You find it by checking one direction at a time, which is exactly what the lamps ask you to do.
Nothing is recorded and nothing leaves the device.
How to test your phone's gyroscope
- Open this page on the phone or tablet you want to test. A desktop has no sensor to read, and the page will tell you so.
- Press start. On an iPhone the browser will ask for permission to use motion, and it has to be asked from a button, which is why there is one.
- Tilt the device forward and back. The bubble in the upper vial should move and the front-back lamp should light.
- Now tilt it left and right for the second lamp, then lay it flat and turn it like a steering wheel for the third.
- Watch the readings, not just the lamps. Numbers that jump wildly while the device is still, or that stick at one value while you move, are both faults.
- If one axis refuses after you have clearly moved it, note which one before booking a repair. It is the difference between a calibration issue and a broken part.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Gyroscope Test free, and does it install anything?
It is free, there is no account and nothing is installed. The readings are used to draw the page and are not recorded or sent anywhere, which matters more here than on most tools because motion data says a lot about what you are doing.
Why does it say there is no sensor on my computer?
Because there almost certainly is not one. Gyroscopes are standard in phones and tablets and rare in desktops and laptops, so an empty reading on a computer is the expected result rather than a fault. Open the same page on a phone to get anything useful.
My phone shows nothing either. What now?
Three things account for most cases. The browser may have been refused permission for motion, which you can reset in the site settings for this page. The page may have been opened over a plain http address, which blocks sensor access. Or a browser in a locked-down mode may be withholding it. Try again over https in a normal window and allow the prompt.
What is the difference between the gyroscope and the accelerometer?
The accelerometer senses forces, including gravity, which is what lets a phone know which way is down while it lies still. The gyroscope senses rotation, which is what tracks a turn. They fail separately, so a phone can know it is upright and still be unable to follow a turn in a game.
One axis never lights up. Is my gyroscope broken?
Possibly, and it is the most useful thing you can learn here. Before concluding that, move that direction deliberately and generously, because an axis you barely moved will look dead. If it stays dark under a clear movement, take that specific symptom to a repair shop rather than a general complaint about screen rotation.
Can I fix a sensor by calibrating it?
Sometimes. Drift, where the readings creep while the device is still, often responds to the calibration routine in the operating system or to simply restarting. A completely silent axis usually does not, because that is a connection or a part rather than a stale reference point.
Does the Gyroscope Test drain the battery or keep running in the background?
It reads while the page is open and stops when you leave or press reset. Motion sensors are cheap to read compared with the screen you are looking at, so a few minutes of testing is not a meaningful cost.
Why does the heading number drift when the phone is still?
Heading is the least stable of the three because it is assembled from several sensors, including the magnetic one, which is affected by anything metal nearby. Small drift while still is normal. What is not normal is drift large enough to move the reading tens of degrees within seconds.