January 14, 2026
North, but make it drama
Show HN: Tiny FOSS Compass and Navigation App (<2MB)
Tiny compass app ignites debate: routes, accuracy, and should FOSS charge
TLDR: A tiny, ad-free Android compass shows direction and live location without heavy maps. The crowd loves the minimalism but argues about routing, accuracy fixes that may add data, and whether the dev should charge; the dev teases offline maps and waypoints while keeping it lean.
A free, under-2MB Android compass just hit the scene—and the dev forums went full reality show. MBCompass promises no ads, no tracking, and just enough navigation to show your direction and live location on OpenStreetMap. Fans love the minimalist vibe, with one user bragging they used it to pick the sunniest room in a new apartment. It’s already landed on the front page of Hacker News and earned product shout-outs, but the comments are where the spice lives.
First plot twist: money. A fellow open-source maintainer says the developer should charge a small fee because donations rarely pay the bills. The purists clap back: keep it free, it’s GPL (an open, share-alike license), and anyone can build it themselves. It’s the classic open-source soap opera—sustainability vs ideals—set to the soundtrack of “tiny app, big compass energy.”
Then comes the accuracy brawl. A seasoned navigator warns the app needs a “magnetic compensation map” to correct Earth’s wobbly magnetism, which could blow past the tiny size. The developer (already teasing v2 goodies like GPX waypoints, GPS speedometer, and offline maps via GeoPackage) promises more power without bloat. Meme of the day: “Not a map app, just vibes and bearings.”
Key Points
- •MBCompass is a free, open-source Android compass and navigation app with no ads, in-app purchases, or tracking.
- •Features include true and magnetic north, live GPS location on OpenStreetMap, magnetic field strength display, and sensor fusion using accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope.
- •The app supports light/dark themes, landscape orientation, and keeps the screen on during navigation; it is built with Jetpack Compose and Material Design and runs on Android 5.0+.
- •An upcoming v2.0 design proposal outlines a refreshed UI with a GPS speedometer and True AMOLED Dark Mode; final implementation may vary for performance and best practices.
- •The project is licensed under GPLv3 or later, artwork under CC BY-SA 4.0, and has received recognition on Product Hunt, Android Weekly, and Hacker News; translations and contributions are welcomed via Weblate.