Feature
Open the siddur, know which way to face
Open the siddur and daven. The direction to Jerusalem is already there, no searching.
Why this matters
When you need to find Mizrach, you don't need a compass app. You need to daven. A regular compass gives you a direction, but then you close it, open a siddur, and find your place. In Otot the direction is already inside the siddur, next to the zmanim, next to the tefillah.
Geodesic, not flat-map
On a flat map, a straight line from Brooklyn to Jerusalem looks like due East. But the Earth is round, and the actual shortest path along the surface is closer to East-Northeast. The further you are from Israel, the bigger the difference. Otot computes the real great-circle bearing, not the flat approximation.
Works offline
The compass runs entirely on the device. No server, no network. Works on a flight in airplane mode, on a hike without reception, anywhere with GPS.
Siddur, zmanim, and Mizrach. One app.
Davening mincha in a hotel? Shacharit at the airport? The direction to Jerusalem is ready the moment you open the siddur.
FAQ
Why is the compass pointing the wrong way?
Usually a calibration issue. Hold the phone and trace a figure-eight in the air for a few seconds. That resets the magnetometer. If you are near a fridge, monitor, or electrical wiring, step away and try again.
Does the compass work indoors?
Yes, but accuracy drops a few degrees. Steel in walls creates local magnetic distortion. Outside or near an open window, accuracy returns to normal.
Why does Otot point slightly differently from another app?
Otot uses geodesic (great-circle) bearing: the shortest path along the actual surface of the Earth. Many apps use rhumb-line bearing (a straight line on a flat map), which is off by several degrees, especially from the Western Hemisphere. From New York, the flat-map direction is due East, but the real great-circle direction is closer to East-Northeast.
Does it work without internet?
Yes. The calculation runs entirely on the device, no server, no network request. Works on a flight in airplane mode, on a hike without reception, anywhere with GPS.