On Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Series 6 and later models running watchOS 9, you can use the redesigned Compass app's Backtrack feature to track your route and then help you retrace your steps in case you get lost.

watchos 9 compass app backtrack
Backtrack uses the GPS on your Apple Watch to create a virtual breadcrumb trail of your route so you don't have to worry about keeping track of where you're going. According to Apple, Backtrack is designed to be used in remote settings, away from familiar places like your home or workplace, and outside densely populated areas without Wi-Fi, but there's nothing stopping you from using it anywhere you need it.

The following steps show you how to use the Backtrack feature in watchOS 9. Note that the accuracy of Backtrack may be hindered by metal watch bands.

  1. Open the Compass app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Tap the footprints icon in the bottom-right of the screen, then tap Start to begin recording your route.
  3. If necessary, scroll down and tap Allow Once to allow Compass to access your Recent Locations.
  4. When you're ready to retrace your steps, tap the pause icon in the bottom-right of the screen, then tap Retrace Steps.
    compass

  5. Your starting location will appear on the compass, and a bouncing white arrow will point you in the right direction. The path back to the starting point will appear within the compass circle as a white line. Follow the path back to return to where you first turned on Backtrack.
  6. When you've arrived at your starting location, tap the footsteps icon again, then tap Delete Steps.

In watchOS 9, the Compass app also lets you create Compass Waypoints while you're on the move, which you can also use in combination with Backtrack. Click the link to learn more.

Related Forum: Apple Watch

Top Rated Comments

gpat Avatar
31 months ago
I'd totally use this to get back to my car parking spot.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PsykX Avatar
31 months ago
Damn that's actually a pretty cool feature.
Strangely, I watched every keynote and never heard of this before.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
unregbaron Avatar
31 months ago
Shame it's not always on - you don't always know when you're going to get lost. Can users set it to be always on?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aorr Avatar
31 months ago
It blows my mind they have this feature but don’t overlay the information on a map. Every time I’ve used gaia to retrace my route seeing the route on a solid topo or satellite imagery is critical to accurately navigating back the way I had come. Granted that is usually in complicated terrain with lots of cliffs and no trails, but isn’t the backcountry what this watch is all about. ?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CheffyDude Avatar
31 months ago
Fact: This can also be done using a blood trail.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1557750 Avatar
31 months ago
Anyway this allows me to backtrack about 30 years so I can make different investment decisions?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

ios 18 4 carplay

iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay

Sunday February 23, 2025 2:23 pm PST by
The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay. As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped...
cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Has No Visible Display Crease – Report

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:58 am PST by
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices. According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
airtag orange

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch in May or June With These New Features

Monday February 24, 2025 6:11 am PST by
Apple plans to launch a second-generation AirTag in May or June this year, according to a post today from a leaker known as Kosutami. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that a new AirTag would be released in mid-2025. May or June would align with that timeframe. Below, we recap three new features rumored for the AirTag 2: With a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the...
iphone 17 lineup cad render majin bu

Revealed: Entire iPhone 17 Lineup's Striking New Camera Designs

Monday February 24, 2025 2:49 am PST by
A new CAD render of all the devices in Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 lineup has been shared online by leaker Majin Bu, specifically showing the allegedly different rear camera system designs of the standard iPhone 17, all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, and the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models. The leaker Majin Bu has had some hits in the past, but some of his information has been wrong,...
trump iphone dictation issue

Apple Fixing 'Trump' Dictation Processing Bug

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:18 pm PST by
Multiple iPhone owners today noticed a pronunciation processing issue that causes the word "Trump" to momentarily show up when using dictation to send a message with the word "racist." In some cases, when speaking the word racist through the iPhone's built-in dictation feature, the iPhone briefly interprets the spoken word as "Trump" and "Trump" text shows up in the Messages app before being ...