DJI recommends calibrating GPS / Compass only when the GO4 app says to.
Compass calibrations are probably the most misunderstood aspect to drone flying.
DJI haven't helped the situation, having given misleading and contradictory information in their manuals.
If you think your drone is asking for compass calibration, it probably isn't.
Most of the time, there will be nothing wrong with the compass.
It will be warning you of a problem nearby and all that is needed is to move the drone away from the problem.
The common idea that recalibration might be required after traveling some distance from your last flight is completely wrong.
My main Phantom 4 pro has flown over 4000 miles in 4 years over large distances and multiple countries.
I still haven't calibrated anything on it.
What is the general consensus?
Never mind the consensus, whenever it's discussed in forums, half of what comes up is the myths and misinformation.
The people who suggest recalibrating before each flight do it because they don't understand what compass calibration actually does.
To learn the basics, the first post in this thread explains it fairly well:
BACKGROUND The aircraft compass is often misunderstood, both in terms of function and purpose, but it is important to understand what the compass measures, why, and what happens to that information. At the most basic level the purpose of the compass is to measure the earth’s magnetic field in...
mavicpilots.com
MY P4P gets a little squirley now and then (drifts, lags taking commons, etc.) Upgraded to a newer iPad mini which seemed to help but still don't always have rock solid control 100% of the time. I frequently fly near a NAVSEA installation and another military station so having accurate control is maybe a little more critical than normal.
Swapping your tablet can't do anything to affect your drone's stability.
Recalibrating your compass won't improve your drone's control if you are flying near military installations
If your drone is flying straight, the compass is working properly and recalibrating won't do anything to make things any better.