Prayer Times App: How to Get Accurate Salah Times

Accurate prayer times are the foundation of consistent salah. If your app shows the wrong Fajr time by even 10 minutes, you might pray before the time has actually entered or miss the window entirely. With the five daily prayers each having specific windows based on the sun's position, precision matters.

This guide explains how prayer time apps calculate salah times, why times can differ between apps, and how to make sure you are getting the most accurate prayer times for your location.

How Prayer Times Are Calculated

Islamic prayer times are based on the position of the sun relative to your location on Earth. Each prayer corresponds to a specific solar angle:

• Fajr: Begins at dawn (true dawn, when light first appears on the horizon). The sun angle varies by calculation method but is typically 15 to 19.5 degrees below the horizon
• Dhuhr: Begins after the sun passes its zenith (highest point). This is the easiest to calculate and most apps agree on it
• Asr: Begins when the shadow of an object equals its height (Shafi'i) or twice its height (Hanafi). This is the most common source of difference between calculation methods
• Maghrib: Begins at sunset. Straightforward calculation
• Isha: Begins when twilight disappears. Like Fajr, the exact sun angle varies by method, typically 15 to 18 degrees below the horizon

Why Prayer Times Differ Between Apps

You might notice that Fajr on one app is 4:32 AM while another shows 4:47 AM. This is not a bug. It is because different calculation methods define different sun angles for Fajr and Isha:

• Muslim World League (MWL): Fajr at 18 degrees, Isha at 17 degrees
• Egyptian General Authority: Fajr at 19.5 degrees, Isha at 17.5 degrees
• University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi: Fajr at 18 degrees, Isha at 18 degrees
• ISNA (North America): Fajr at 15 degrees, Isha at 15 degrees
• Umm al-Qura (Saudi Arabia): Fajr at 18.5 degrees, Isha fixed at 90 minutes after Maghrib

The best approach is to use the calculation method recommended for your region. If you are in Egypt, use the Egyptian General Authority method. In North America, ISNA is most common. In Saudi Arabia, use Umm al-Qura. Most prayer apps let you choose your calculation method in settings.

Setting Up Your Prayer Times App

To get the most accurate prayer times, configure these settings in your app:

1. Enable GPS location or manually set your city. Automatic location is better if you travel frequently
2. Choose the correct calculation method for your region. Ask your local mosque which method they follow if you are unsure
3. Select your Asr calculation: Shafi'i (standard in most of the Muslim world) or Hanafi (common in South Asia and Turkey)
4. Set time adjustments if your app supports them. Some locations have known offsets due to geography (mountains, valleys) that affect when the sun angle actually matches the calculated time

Best Prayer Time Apps

Just Pray

Just Pray provides accurate prayer times with multiple calculation method options. It sends up to three notifications per prayer so you never miss a time window. The app also includes a Qibla compass and full prayer tracking so you can see which prayers you completed on time.

Muslim Pro

Muslim Pro is one of the most established apps for prayer times. It supports all major calculation methods and has a large database of mosques and city-level adjustments. Prayer times are generally accurate and the app has been refined over many years.

Athan by Islamic Finder

Athan is built specifically around prayer time accuracy. It supports all major calculation methods and has been cross-checked against observatory data. It includes a widget for quick glance access to prayer times.

Verifying Your Prayer Times

If you want to double-check your app's accuracy:

• Compare with your local mosque's posted prayer times
• Check multiple apps with the same calculation method. They should match within a minute or two
• For Fajr and Maghrib, you can visually verify by observing dawn and sunset relative to the times shown

Prayer Time Notifications That Work

Accurate prayer times mean nothing if your notifications do not fire on time. Make sure your prayer app has the right permissions:

• iOS: Allow notifications, enable background app refresh, and set alerts as "Time Sensitive" so they break through Focus modes
• Android: Disable battery optimization for the app, allow background activity, and set notification priority to high

The best prayer time app is one that reliably notifies you and makes it easy to act on those notifications. Accurate times plus reliable alerts plus prayer tracking creates the foundation for consistent salah.