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Device orientation events

The DeviceMotionEvent interface of the Device Orientation Events provides web developers with information about the speed of changes for the device's position and orientation.

Event DeviceMotionEvent

Devices and Sensors

Browser support

Feature Desktop Mobile
Chrome
Edge
Firefox
Safari
Chrome Android
Safari iOS
DeviceMotionEvent
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4.2
acceleration

The acceleration read-only property of the DeviceMotionEvent interface returns the acceleration recorded by the device, in meters per second squared (m/s²). This value does not include the effect of the gravitational force, in contrast to DeviceMotionEvent.accelerationIncludingGravity.
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4.2
accelerationIncludingGravity

The accelerationIncludingGravity read-only property of the DeviceMotionEvent interface returns the amount of acceleration recorded by the device, in meters per second squared (m/s²). Unlike DeviceMotionEvent.acceleration which compensates for the influence of gravity, its value is the sum of the acceleration of the device as induced by the user and an…
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4.2
DeviceMotionEvent

The DeviceMotionEvent() constructor creates a new DeviceMotionEvent object.
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interval

The interval read-only property of the DeviceMotionEvent interface returns the interval, in milliseconds, at which data is obtained from the underlying hardware. You can use this to determine the granularity of motion events.
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4.2
requestPermission_static
Experimental

The requestPermission() static method of the DeviceMotionEvent interface requests the user's permission to access device motion data from the accelerometer and gyroscope sensors. This method requires transient activation, meaning that it must be triggered by a UI event such as a button click.
14.5
rotationRate

The rotationRate read-only property of the DeviceMotionEvent interface returns the rate at which the device is rotating around each of its axes in degrees per second.
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4.2
DeviceMotionEventAcceleration

The DeviceMotionEventAcceleration interface of the Device Orientation Events provides information about the amount of acceleration the device is experiencing along all three axes.
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4.2
x

The x read-only property of the DeviceMotionEventAcceleration interface indicates the amount of acceleration that occurred along the X axis in a DeviceMotionEventAcceleration object.
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4.2
y

The y read-only property of the DeviceMotionEventAcceleration interface indicates the amount of acceleration that occurred along the Y axis in a DeviceMotionEventAcceleration object.
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4.2
z

The z read-only property of the DeviceMotionEventAcceleration interface indicates the amount of acceleration that occurred along the Z axis in a DeviceMotionEventAcceleration object.
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4.2
DeviceMotionEventRotationRate

A DeviceMotionEventRotationRate interface of the Device Orientation Events provides information about the rate at which the device is rotating around all three axes.
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4.2
alpha

The alpha read-only property of the DeviceMotionEventRotationRate interface indicates the rate of rotation around the Z axis, in degrees per second.
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4.2
beta

The beta read-only property of the DeviceMotionEventRotationRate interface indicates the rate of rotation around the X axis, in degrees per second.
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4.2
gamma

The gamma read-only property of the DeviceMotionEventRotationRate interface indicates the rate of rotation around the Y axis, in degrees per second.
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4.2
DeviceOrientationEvent

The DeviceOrientationEvent interface of the Device Orientation Events provides web developers with information from the physical orientation of the device running the web page.
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4.2
absolute

The absolute read-only property of the DeviceOrientationEvent interface indicates whether or not the device is providing orientation data absolutely (that is, in reference to the Earth's coordinate frame) or using some arbitrary frame determined by the device. See Orientation and motion data explained for details.
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alpha

The alpha read-only property of the DeviceOrientationEvent interface returns the rotation of the device around the Z axis; that is, the number of degrees by which the device is being twisted around the center of the screen. See Orientation and motion data explained for details.
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4.2
beta

The beta read-only property of the DeviceOrientationEvent interface returns the rotation of the device around the X axis; that is, the number of degrees, ranged between -180 and 180, by which the device is tipped forward or backward. See Orientation and motion data explained for details.
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4.2
DeviceOrientationEvent

The DeviceOrientationEvent() constructor creates a new DeviceOrientationEvent object.
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gamma

The gamma read-only property of the DeviceOrientationEvent interface returns the rotation of the device around the Y axis; that is, the number of degrees, ranged between -90 and 90, by which the device is tilted left or right. See Orientation and motion data explained for details.
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4.2
requestPermission_static
Experimental

The requestPermission() static method of the DeviceOrientationEvent interface requests the user's permission to access device orientation data from the accelerometer and gyroscope sensors. It can also request permission to access magnetometer data when absolute orientation is needed. This method requires transient activation, meaning that it must be…
14.5
devicemotion_event

The devicemotion event is fired at a regular interval and indicates the acceleration rate of the device with/without the contribution of the gravity force at that time. It also provides information about the rate of rotation, if available.
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4.2
deviceorientation_event

The deviceorientation event is fired when fresh data is available from an orientation sensor about the current orientation of the device as compared to the Earth coordinate frame. This data is gathered from a magnetometer inside the device.
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4.2
deviceorientationabsolute_event

The deviceorientationabsolute event is fired when absolute device orientation changes.
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1+Supported (version) Not supported ※Has note Sub-feature descriptions sourced from MDN Web Docs (CC BY-SA 2.5)
Notes 1 item(s)
Implementation note
  • The `DeviceMotionEventAcceleration` interface is supported, but not exposed on the `Window` scope.
Notes 1 item(s)
Implementation note
  • The `DeviceMotionEventAcceleration` interface is supported, but not exposed on the `Window` scope.
Notes 1 item(s)
Implementation note
  • Before version 50, Chrome provided absolute values instead of relative values for this event. Developers still needing absolute values may use the `deviceorientationabsolute` event.
Notes 1 item(s)
Implementation note
  • Firefox 3.6, 4, and 5 supported `mozOrientation` instead of the standard DeviceOrientationEvent interface.
Notes 1 item(s)
Implementation note
  • Before version 50, Chrome Android provided absolute values instead of relative values for this event. Developers still needing absolute values may use the `deviceorientationabsolute` event.
Notes 2 item(s)
Removed
  • This feature was removed in a later browser version (6)
Implementation note
  • Previously available under a different name: mozOrientation (3.6)

Syntax

JAVASCRIPT 
window.addEventListener("devicemotion", (event) => {
  console.log(`${event.acceleration.x} m/s2`);
});

Use cases

  • Using Device orientation events

    The DeviceMotionEvent interface of the Device Orientation Events provides web developers with information about the speed of changes for the device's position and orientation.

Cautions

  • May not be supported in older browsers.

Implementation notes

  • Some APIs require a secure context (HTTPS) or user activation. Check the requirements before use.

Related links