Soft reset of magnetometer in Android

Question

I have noticed that by shaking or tapping the phone (an SE Xperia x10 mini) several times recalibrates the magnetometer. Is there any way of doing this software-wise in a more controlled way?

Answer 1

I don't think so. It seems some sort of "hardware reset": when the magnetometer has been confused by a magnetic field (a loudspeaker is usually enough) it requires physical movement in order to return to a "plain state".