Orientation Heading Inaccuracy

Question

I'm working on an Android application that requires accurate orientation heading updates using the FusedOrientationProviderClient and a custom DeviceOrientationListener. However, I'm experiencing issues with orientation accuracy and incorrect heading values, especially when the device is flat on a surface.

• When the device is not flat it's showing almost every time the right heading.

• If the first value is not accurate,its not fixing itself to the right heading,its just keep updating the wrong heading.

Here's the class I am using for orientation updates:

class LocationOrientationRepo(context: Context) {

    private var deviceOrientationListener: DeviceOrientationListenerImpl? = null
    private val fusedOrientationProviderClient: FusedOrientationProviderClient =
        LocationServices.getFusedOrientationProviderClient(context)
    private val handler = Handler(Looper.getMainLooper())
    private val refreshRunnable = object : Runnable {
        override fun run() {
            checkOrientationListener()
            handler.postDelayed(this, REFRESH_INTERVAL_MS)
        }
    }

    private var lastAzimuth: Float? = null
    private val threshold = 0.0f // Set your threshold value (in degrees)

    fun startListening(onOrientationChanged: (Float) -> Unit) {
        if (deviceOrientationListener == null) {
            deviceOrientationListener = DeviceOrientationListenerImpl { azimuth ->
                if (shouldNotify(azimuth)) {
                    lastAzimuth = azimuth
                    onOrientationChanged(azimuth)
                }
            }
            val request = DeviceOrientationRequest.Builder(DeviceOrientationRequest.OUTPUT_PERIOD_DEFAULT).build()
            val executor: ExecutorService = Executors.newSingleThreadExecutor()

            fusedOrientationProviderClient.requestOrientationUpdates(request, executor, deviceOrientationListener!!)
                .addOnSuccessListener {
                    Log.i(TAG, "Successfully added new orientation listener")
                    handler.post(refreshRunnable)
                }
                .addOnFailureListener { e ->
                    Log.e(TAG, "Failed to add new orientation listener", e)
                }
        }
    }

    fun stopListening() {
        if (deviceOrientationListener != null) {
            Log.i(TAG, "Removing active orientation listener")
            fusedOrientationProviderClient.removeOrientationUpdates(deviceOrientationListener!!)
            deviceOrientationListener = null
            handler.removeCallbacks(refreshRunnable)
        }
    }

    private fun checkOrientationListener() {
        if (deviceOrientationListener == null) {
            Log.i(TAG, "Orientation listener not active. Restarting.")
            startListening { azimuth ->
                Log.d(TAG, "Orientation callback with azimuth: $azimuth")
            }
        }
    }

    private fun shouldNotify(newAzimuth: Float): Boolean {
        // If lastAzimuth is null, initialize it
        if (lastAzimuth == null) {
            lastAzimuth = newAzimuth
            return true
        }

        // Calculate the difference
        val diff = Math.abs(newAzimuth - (lastAzimuth ?: newAzimuth))
        return diff >= threshold
    }

    private inner class DeviceOrientationListenerImpl(private val onOrientationChanged: (Float) -> Unit) :
        DeviceOrientationListener {

        override fun onDeviceOrientationChanged(deviceOrientation: DeviceOrientation) {
            val azimuth = deviceOrientation.headingDegrees
            Log.d(TAG, "Device Orientation Changed - Heading: $azimuth")  // Debug log for azimuth
            onOrientationChanged(azimuth)
        }
    }

    companion object {
        private const val TAG = "LocationOrientationRepo"
        private const val REFRESH_INTERVAL_MS = 10000L // 10 seconds
    }
}

Issue:

• Inaccuracy of Orientation Heading:

The heading direction provided by DeviceOrientationListener is not always accurate. When the device is flat, the heading direction seems incorrect and does not update properly.

• Sensor Event Issues:

Using sensor events directly also yields inaccurate and erratic results, especially when rotating the device.

What I've Tried: I’ve tried using sensors events but they produce unstable and incorrect values when the device is rotated. Questions:

• How can I improve the accuracy of the orientation heading?
• How can I handle orientation updates correctly when the device is flat?
• Would you use a different method?

Any guidance or suggestions on how to fix these issues would be greatly appreciated. Thank you !