Mobile Motion Diagnostics Hub
TEST PHONE SENSORS WITHOUT GUESSING
A screen that will not rotate, a racing game that steers by itself and an app that never responds to tilt can all look like “the gyroscope is broken,” but the browser exposes several different signals. Accelerometer data describes linear acceleration and gravity, rotation rate describes how fast the device turns, and orientation angles describe its attitude. Testing them separately produces better evidence.
GearCheck Lab keeps those signals distinct, requests motion access only after a user action and processes readings inside the current browser session.
A practical phone motion-sensor sequence
- Run the broad scan first when the symptom is unclear.
Open the Accelerometer & Gyroscope Sensor Test to see orientation, acceleration including gravity and rotation rate side by side. This quickly shows which signal families the browser exposes. - Isolate acceleration when movement or tilt response is the problem.
Use the Accelerometer Test to inspect X/Y/Z response, gravity-vector magnitude, event cadence and a five-second still-device comparison. - Isolate rotation when turning behavior is the problem.
Use the Gyroscope Test to inspect actual browser-exposed rotation rate, total angular speed and a still-device drift sample. Orientation is shown separately as context. - Move deliberately through each axis.
Tilt front/back, roll side-to-side and rotate the phone flat like a steering wheel. A sensor that appears “stuck” may simply not have been moved around the axis you are watching. - Return the device to a stable surface.
After motion, let values settle. Run still-device checks without holding the phone so hand tremor does not dominate the sample. - Repeat suspicious behavior in another current browser.
Browser privacy rules and API support differ. If the same signal is missing everywhere on the same device after permission succeeds, the evidence becomes stronger.
Choose the sensor diagnostic that matches the question
Permission failure is not sensor failure
Some mobile browsers expose motion events immediately, while others require explicit Motion & Orientation permission after a tap. That is why every GearCheck Lab sensor test starts from a button instead of silently attaching sensitive listeners.
If permission is denied, re-enable the site’s motion/sensor access in browser or operating-system settings where available, reload and retry. A desktop with no relevant hardware can also legitimately return no data.
HTTPS, device support and privacy rules matter
Motion APIs are security-sensitive and browsers can reduce, filter or withhold sensor access. Browser behavior can change independently of the physical hardware. GearCheck Lab reports missing fields as missing rather than converting another signal into a fake substitute.
Sensor readings are processed in the page to update local telemetry. They are not useful to GearCheck Lab as server data and the diagnostic does not need to upload them.
Interpret the observation before naming the failed part
| Observation | What it may mean | Useful next step |
|---|
| No motion or orientation events at all | Unsupported device/browser, permission block, system privacy setting or absent hardware are all possible. | Confirm phone/tablet use, permission and HTTPS; compare another current browser. |
| Orientation changes but rotationRate stays blank | The browser exposes orientation but not DeviceMotion rotation-rate fields. | Do not call it a failed gyroscope from this result alone; compare another browser or native diagnostic. |
| Gravity vector shifts as device tilts | Accelerometer/gravity information is reaching the browser and responding to orientation. | Run the focused accelerometer check if movement behavior is the symptom. |
| One acceleration axis appears frozen | Possible limited movement, coordinate misunderstanding, API issue or sensor-path problem. | Deliberately rotate the device so gravity transfers between all axes; repeat. |
| Rotation rate responds while turning and falls when still | The browser is receiving useful angular-motion data under the current conditions. | Run the still-device sample for a repeatable baseline. |
| Large rotation values persist every time the phone rests securely | Sensor bias, vibration, browser processing or a physical sensor issue may be involved. | Repeat on a stable surface after restart and compare another browser/device. |
Accelerometer and gyroscope answer different questions
An accelerometer responds to acceleration and gravity. That makes it useful for detecting tilt and movement, but it cannot by itself describe angular rotation cleanly. A gyroscope measures angular velocity and is better suited to how quickly a device rotates.
Modern phones often combine multiple sensors through operating-system sensor fusion. The web page sees the API values the browser chooses to expose, not a raw electrical feed from each chip.
Orientation is useful context, not a gyroscope synonym
Device orientation alpha/beta/gamma values describe orientation angles. They can be derived from sensor fusion and may remain available when direct-looking rotation-rate values are absent. GearCheck Lab therefore labels them separately.
This distinction matters when troubleshooting: a changing orientation preview proves that some orientation path is working, but does not prove the browser supplied the rotation-rate field a gyroscope-focused application expects.
What browser sensor diagnostics can and cannot establish
Strong use caseConfirming whether motion/orientation data reaches the browser, checking per-axis response and comparing repeatable still-device behavior.
Useful comparisonOne browser vs another, before/after restart, one device vs another and repeated stable-surface runs under the same conditions.
Needs deeper toolsFactory calibration, chip-level bias, magnetometer calibration, inertial navigation accuracy and hardware-service diagnosis.
Browser timing also includes operating-system scheduling and privacy filtering, so update-rate counters describe events delivered to the page—not the internal sensor’s advertised sampling specification.
For a better still-device comparison
- Place the phone on a solid table rather than holding it.
- Keep vibration sources away from the surface.
- Wait a moment after setting the phone down before starting the sample.
- Repeat the same test twice rather than judging one spike.
- Compare the same browser and orientation when testing two devices.
- Treat differences as troubleshooting evidence, not a calibrated pass/fail grade.
When the real problem may be elsewhere
Auto-rotate problems can also involve rotation lock, app-specific settings or operating-system behavior. Gaming motion can be affected by app calibration and smoothing. A browser test that responds normally is useful because it shifts attention toward the application or system configuration instead of immediately blaming the sensor chip.
Phone sensor testing FAQ
Why does the combined test show more data than the focused gyroscope test?
The combined page displays several browser motion/orientation fields together. The focused gyroscope page deliberately treats actual rotationRate as its primary measurement rather than calling orientation angles “gyroscope speed.”
Should an accelerometer read exactly 9.80665 m/s² at rest?
No. That is a physical reference for Earth gravity, not a browser pass threshold. Consumer sensor bias, orientation, filtering and local gravity variation mean a single exact number should not be expected.
Can I test a controller gyroscope here?
These pages target the browser-exposed motion sensors of the device running the page. Standard browser Gamepad API data generally does not expose controller IMU/gyroscope telemetry, so a controller’s motion sensor should not be inferred from these phone tests.
Does no data mean the phone sensor is broken?
No. Browser support, permission, system policy and missing API fields are common alternatives. Compare another current browser or manufacturer/native diagnostic before deciding the hardware failed.
Related GearCheck Lab diagnostics
If the symptom involves touch rather than motion, use the touchscreen and stylus testing guide. For general browser limitations and result interpretation, read the GearCheck Lab testing methodology.