LG G5: Calibrate Motion Sensors

If you notice the LG G5 motion sensors are not accurate (maybe they’re too sensitive or not sensitive enough), then let me show you how to calibrate them.

Our smartphones these days have a number of sensors used to track your fitness activity and this is done with motion sensors like gyroscopes and accelerometers. These sensors are used for a number of things ranging from detecting when you turn your device 90 degrees, to controlling some mobile games, and even detecting what type of fitness activity you’re currently doing (push-ups, pull-ups, jumping jacks, jogging, cycling, etc).

If you notice that any of these types of things are not working properly on the LG G5, or maybe that they are not as accurate as they should be, then you’ll be happy to hear about the LG G5 Calibrate Motion Sensors feature that LG has built into the software.

There are some 3rd-party applications that can calibrate your compass and GPS for you, but I rarely see one that can calibrate the motion sensors and I’m glad to see LG has baked this feature into the OS.

So let me show you how to access this feature and how you can calibrate the motion sensors on your LG G5.

LG G5 Calibrate Motion Sensors

1. Launch the Settings Application
2. Tap on the ‘Display’ Tab at the Top
3. Scroll All the Way Down and Tap on the ‘More’ Option
4. Tap on the ‘Motion Sensor Calibration’ Option
5. Gently Place the LG G5 Down on a Flat Surface
6. Press the ‘Calibrate Sensor’ Button at the Bottom Right
7. Wait for the LG G5 Calibrate Motion Sensor Feature to Complete

Explanation

As mentioned, there can be a number of issues that are the result of your motion sensors being inaccurate. These issues are usually isolated to the examples I gave above (switching to landscape mode, inaccurate controls in a mobile game, or fitness apps not detecting your exercises properly), but there are a number of other things that can go wrong too. It’s usually easy to spot though as long as the motion sensor has something to do with a particular feature (generally motion type features).

To launch the LG G5 Calibrate Motion Sensors feature, we’ll need to launch the Settings application and then tap on the Display tab. From here, scroll all the way to the bottom of the screen and tap on the Motion Sensor Calibration option. This will take you to a screen that tells you what this feature does (calibrate your motion sensors), and then instruct you on how to actually calibrate them. You’ll even see an illustration in the middle of the screen to give you an idea of what they want you to do with the LG G5.

Just like I described in the guide above, and like you see in the illustration above, you’ll want to place the LG G5 on a flat surface so it can calibrate the sensors properly. If you fail to do this, then your sensors will continue to be inaccurate. Once you place the device down on a flat surface, then you’ll want to tap on the Calibrate Sensor button that you see in the bottom right of the screen. You’ll see a dialog box appear telling you that the LG G5 is calibrating the sensor and you should wait until this box goes away.

This process should only take a couple of seconds (you can see a demo of this in the video above) and once the box goes away, you’ll see that calibration screen minimize and you’ll be taken back to the previous settings page. That’s all there is to it. If you notice your motion sensors are still inaccurate, then you’ll want to do this a few more times until it calibrates them properly. I would say that if it still doesn’t fix it after 4-5 tries, then you might have some sort of hardware issue and it would be best to get the device replaced/repaired by LG or your wireless carrier.

You could notice the motion sensors become inaccurate over time though. If this happens too soon after the calibration (like a day or two), then again, there is probably something wrong with the hardware. But if you have to calibrate the LG G5 motion sensors every few months then that doesn’t seem to be a critical issue.