Google has something to gift to its Muslim users this Ramadan. The company is making it easier to search for Qibla- the direction in which Muslims turn to pray by launching a Qibla Finder app. The app uses augmented reality to find the direction towards the Kaaba- holy shrine located at Al-Masjid al-Haram, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The Qibla Finder app uses the phone's camera and location settings to show a clear blue line directing towards Qibla. Google uses the GPS locations of the shrine and a digital compass to give the direction in form of a blue painted line running towards the direction of Kaaba.
"When people search for the Qibla-the direction Muslims turn to at prayer-they often look for a website or an app to point them in the right direction. Which explains why the word "compass" often pops up when we look at Qibla-related search results over the past five years," reads Google's blogpost. The Qibla Finder is accessible through browser and is available across all devices except iOS.