The watchOS 9 Compass app shows you the direction your Apple Watch is pointing, your current location, and the elevation. You can also create Compass Waypoints as you go and retrace your steps with Backtrack — with some caveats.
To wit: the Compass app is available on Apple Watch Series 5 and later, and Apple Watch SE. The Compass Waypoints and Backtrack features, however, are available only with watchOS 9 on Apple Watch Series 6 and later, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra.
Also note that The presence of magnets can affect the accuracy of any compass sensor. Apple’s Leather Link, Leather Loop, Milanese Loop, and earlier Sport Loop watch bands use magnets or magnetic material that might interfere with the Apple Watch compass. The compass isn’t affected by Sport Loop bands introduced in September 2019 or later, or any version of the Sport Band.
Okay, let’s backtrack to the Backtrack feature.
Backtrack in the Compass app can track your route and then help you retrace your steps if you get lost.4
Before you start, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services on the companion iPhone and make sure these settings are turned on:
You can also start Backtrack from the safety screen. Press and hold the side button until Compass Backtrack appears. Drag the Compass Backtrack slider to the right to start Backtrack.
If you forgot to turn on Backtrack when you started and you get lost in an area where your other navigation tools aren’t working, Backtrack might be able to retrace your path back to its starting point.5 Simply tap on the Backtrack icon to start the Backtrack session, then allow the Compass app to use your historical location data if a prompt appears.
(This how-to is based on my experiences and info on Apple’s support pages — where the images sometimes come from.)
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