Orientation sensor does not work on certain phones (Android 6)

I teach MIT App Inventor in a junior high school class for gifted students.

I recently noticed that apps with orientation sensor that work OK on Android 5 and below, don't work on Android 6.

I saw it on several phones, ranging from Doogee (chinese) to Samsung.

Commercial apps like Frisbee 2 work OK so this is not a hardware malfunction. Additionally, the accelrometer sensor is functioning but it is not as straightforward as the orientation sensor.

The problem persists both when using AI Comapnion and in the final version (apk).

Is there any solution / workaround for this?

sensorTest.aia

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what happens, if you try the simple compass app?

How to build a simple compass app with App Inventor
compass.aia

see also this thread orientation sensor works on some devices , and doesn't for others

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