Spyglass is a navigation and orientation mobile application that combines data from a digital compass, GNSS positioning, motion sensors, maps, and the device camera to provide direction finding, waypoint navigation, and measurement tools. The application is designed for offline and off-road use and is used in outdoor navigation, orientation tasks, astronomy, and fieldwork. It was first released on the Apple App store in 2009.
History Spyglass was created by independent software developer Pavel Ahafonau as a personal project in 2009, following the introduction of a digital compass sensor in the iPhone. It initially focused on combining compass, GPS, and camera data into an augmented-reality tool for navigation and orientation. In September 2009, a public prototype was demonstrated, showing a live camera view combined with a digital compass.
The application was released on the Apple App Store in October 2009. In February 2010, an update introduced target-based navigation, allowing to navigate to saved locations, bearings, and selected celestial objects. The update also added visual measurement tools, including an optical-style rangefinder, as well as a vertical speed indicator displaying ascent and descent rates derived from device sensor data. In December 2010, Spyglass was featured by Apple in iTunes Rewind 2010 under augmented-reality applications.
In 2021, navigation satellite tracking was introduced, allowing visualization and tracking of major GPS/GNSS satellite constellations. In July 2024, previously separate iOS editions (Spyglass, Commander Compass, and Commander Compass Go) were consolidated into a single Spyglass application. At the same time, the app transitioned to a freemium model.
Features Spyglass combines the device's compass, GNSS receiver, gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer, and camera to provide direction-finding, waypoint navigation, and measurement tools such as an altimeter, speedometer, rangefinder, and angular calculator. An augmented-reality mode overlays this sensor and navigation data, including heading, bearing, altitude, and distance to a target, onto the live camera view; the same data can also be shown over a map. Reviewers have particularly noted the app's heads-up display and its combination of measurement tools not typically found together in a single navigation app.
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