True north, not your phone’s heading
The result is an initial great-circle bearing toward the Kaaba, the shortest path over the surface of the Earth. The diagram is a north-up reference. It does not track device orientation or magnetic north.
How to use the bearing
- Find true north: a map app with the map locked north-up, or a compass corrected for magnetic declination, both work.
- Turn clockwise from north by the number of degrees shown. A bearing of 90° faces due east; 270° faces due west.
- Stand well away from steel structures and electronics if you rely on a magnetic compass.
Why the bearing can look surprising
From New York the Qibla is about 58° from north, facing north-east rather than south-east, because the shortest route to Makkah crosses the North Atlantic on a curve. Along a great circle the compass bearing changes as you travel; the figure here is the direction at your starting point, which is what prayer requires.
At or very near the Kaaba
A single bearing is not meaningful at the destination. The tool shows an unavailable state within approximately 100 metres instead of an arbitrary arrow.