Gyroscope Test
Check that your phone or tablet's gyroscope works. Tap Start, allow motion access if asked, then rotate the device: the 3D phone turns with it, and you get live orientation angles, rotation speed in degrees per second, graphs and a spin test that checks how accurately the gyro measures a full turn.
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Lay the device flat and still, then measure the gyro's bias (average reading) and noise for 5 seconds.
Lay the phone flat, start, turn it exactly one full turn on the table (use a table edge as a reference), then stop.
How to use the Gyroscope Test
- Open this page on your phone or tablet. Most laptops and desktop computers have no gyroscope.
- Tap Start gyroscope test. On iPhone and iPad tap Allow when Safari asks for motion and orientation access.
- Rotate the device and watch the 3D phone, the angles and the rotation rate graphs follow your movement.
- Run the drift check: lay the phone still on a table and tap Check drift. The rotation rate should stay close to 0°/s.
- Run the spin test: tap Start spin test, turn the phone flat on the table exactly one full turn, then tap Stop. A healthy gyro reads close to 360°.
- Press Record CSV to capture the readings and download them for analysis.
Gyroscope axes and what the numbers mean
Browsers use the same coordinate system on every phone. Hold the device upright in portrait: X points to the right edge of the screen, Y points to the top and Z points out of the screen towards you.
| Reading | Axis | Range | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | Z (out of the screen) | 0° to 360° | Heading: turning the phone while it lies flat |
| Beta | X (left-right) | −180° to 180° | Front-back tilt: 0° flat, 90° upright facing you |
| Gamma | Y (bottom-top) | −90° to 90° | Left-right tilt: rolling the phone towards its side |
| Rotation rate | X, Y and Z | °/s | Raw gyroscope speed; 0 when the phone is still |
The orientation follows the W3C Device Orientation standard: the phone's rotation is alpha around Z, then beta around the new X axis, then gamma around the new Y axis (rotation matrix R = Rz(α)·Rx(β)·Ry(γ)). The 3D model on this page is drawn with exactly that matrix. The total rotation rate is √(x² + y² + z²).
How the spin and drift checks work
The spin test adds up (integrates) the Z rotation rate over time: angle = Σ rate × Δt. If the gyroscope is accurate and you turn the phone exactly one full turn, the sum is 360°. An error within about ±3% is normal, as your hand rarely stops at exactly 360°. A result that is far off on several attempts points to a mis-scaled or faulty sensor.
The drift check records the rotation rate for 5 seconds while the phone lies still. The average is the bias (a constant offset), the standard deviation is the noise. Bias multiplied by 60 shows how many degrees an uncorrected angle would wander per minute. Phones continuously correct this drift with the accelerometer and magnetometer, which is why the orientation angles stay stable even when the raw gyro has a small bias.
Tips if the gyroscope test fails
- Nothing happens: make sure you opened the page on a phone or tablet and, on iPhone or iPad, tapped Allow. If you denied access, fully close the tab and reopen the page.
- Angles work but rotation rate is empty: some budget phones have no real gyroscope and fake orientation from the accelerometer and compass. Games and 360° videos that need a gyro will not work smoothly on them.
- The 3D phone jitters or drifts: restart the device, keep it away from magnets and metal, and calibrate the compass by moving the phone in a figure-eight.
- Heading points the wrong way: tap Re-center heading; the model then treats the current direction as straight ahead.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my phone's gyroscope is working?
Tap Start and rotate the phone. If the gyroscope works, the rotation rate values jump when you turn the device and fall back to about 0°/s when you hold it still, and the 3D phone turns smoothly with your hand. If the rotation rate stays empty or exactly 0 while you turn the phone, the browser is not receiving gyroscope data, which usually means the device has no gyro or it has failed.
What is the difference between orientation angles and rotation rate?
The rotation rate is the raw gyroscope reading: how fast the device is turning around each axis, in degrees per second. The orientation angles (alpha, beta, gamma) describe which way the device is pointing; the phone calculates them by combining the gyroscope with the accelerometer and usually the magnetometer.
What do alpha, beta and gamma mean?
Alpha is the rotation around the axis coming out of the screen (0° to 360°, like a compass heading when the phone lies flat). Beta is the front-to-back tilt around the side-to-side axis (−180° to 180°). Gamma is the left-to-right tilt around the top-to-bottom axis (−90° to 90°).
Why does the test show no sensor on my computer?
Laptops and desktop computers rarely have a gyroscope, and desktop browsers usually do not expose one. Open the page on a phone or tablet instead; the Copy link button makes that easy. You can tap Show demo data to see how the test looks with simulated readings.
Why do I have to allow motion access on iPhone?
Since iOS 13, Safari only sends motion and orientation data to a web page after you tap a button and choose Allow. If you chose Don't Allow, close the tab completely and open the page again to be asked once more.
What is gyroscope drift?
A gyroscope at rest should read 0°/s, but real sensors show a small bias and noise. Integrated over time this causes drift: the calculated angle slowly creeps even though the phone is not moving. The drift check measures the average bias and noise while the phone lies still; values below about 0.5°/s are typical for phone gyros, and phones correct them using the other sensors.
Is my sensor data sent anywhere?
No. All readings are processed in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Recordings only leave the page when you download the CSV file yourself.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.