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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?
Exactly. How many times would you think to turn it on before you realized you were lost? By the time you realize you are lost, it is too late.

Kind of like the find your car feature on iPhone (https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/get-directions-to-your-parked-car-ipha13ef1c2e/ios ).

I suppose you could just drop a pin at your starting location, but if you have to do it manually, then you might as well start this with compass.
 
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Potentially great feature, but needing to turn it on in advance (?!)… who plans on getting lost? It should be one of those things always running in the background, available WHEN you discover you need it.
This feature is supposed to turn on automatically when you are away from home and wifi in general.


Excerpt from the article:
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
5. This feature is available only when you're away from significant locations such as your home or workplace, or you’re out of range of Wi-Fi.
 
Exactly. How many times would you think to turn it on before you realized you were lost? By the time you realize you are lost, it is too late.

Kind of like the find your car feature on iPhone (https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/get-directions-to-your-parked-car-ipha13ef1c2e/ios ).

I suppose you could just drop a pin at your starting location, but if you have to do it manually, then you might as well start this with compass.


It should turn on automatically per the apple support document.
 
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if this isnt always on, I wonder what the battery implications are, potentially why they opted not to add it to the series 5? it would be great for hiking, just start it at the trailhead, but of course, if this wipes your battery in a few hours like rockies, and the watch barely made it back on like 1% because it was counting my exercising, id worry id rely on this only to find it dead when I needed it. I also wonder how this would be incorporated into 'outdoor walk' or whatever..
 
Curious to know why this isn’t available on Series 5 watches.
The series 6, 7, and 8 all have the same SIP. The processor on the 5 is not as fast as the 6+ watches. People get mad when Apple leaves out features on older devices, but they get mad and suggest a conspiracy when Apple adds new features that slow down devices.

Ultimately, for this to work it has to do a bunch of stuff in the background. The 6+ watches have more processing power to handle such a task comfortably, where the 5 probably doesn't have as much wiggle room.
 
I've lived in the same city for 20 years so I never use the Compass app, but damn if that app isn't pretty cool. I'll keep this in mind next time I travel.
 
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Waiting for Apple to announce a bug in the Backtrack feature…that actually directs you to the nearest Apple Store🤷‍♂️😉
 
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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.jpg

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.
    use-backtrack.jpg

    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.
  5. 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.

Article Link: Lost? How to Use Backtrack on Apple Watch to Retrace Your Steps
The problem is you have to set it manually 😏
 


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.jpg

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.
    use-backtrack.jpg

    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.
  5. 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.

Article Link: Lost? How to Use Backtrack on Apple Watch to Retrace Your Steps
Wow! I thought that was exclusive for the Apple Watch Ultra! That's so neat!
 
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as someone who is pretty bad with directions and getting lost, this is good for me
 
Potentially great feature, but needing to turn it on in advance (?!)… who plans on getting lost? It should be one of those things always running in the background, available WHEN you discover you need it.

I believe the intent is for hiking or similar exercises. You'd turn it on at the start of the hike.
 
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I wish they allowed this as a complication on ANY watch face, instead of having to open the "compass app". It would be easier just to tap and go.....
 
This was the only useful feature I noticed leading me to upgrade to iOS 16 & Watch OS 9 for my AW. Then for kicks, I went into the city and asked Siri mark my parking spot. After the day was over, I asked Siri to take me to my parking spot = flawless walking directions right back to my car. So still on rock solid iOS 15 & WatchOS 8 😀
 
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Totally looking forward to toying with this just for fun.
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. 🙄
Very true, the feature should be on the Map app on the iPhone by default, as well, with an overlay on the map of your path.

Although since this is designed for when you're out of range of things I guess the general Map wouldn't be working - which points to something Apple needs to add to Maps and that is downloaded map content for when you're out of range of things (since Google Maps has this I believe).
A breadcrumb feature that won’t be used but it’s a capital project that’s the development teams have been devoted.
Actually I think this will get used quite a bit, not just by me, and am glad they did it. Enhanced situational awareness is often valuable. But we'll see.
 
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I'd totally use this to get back to my car parking spot.

I don’t know if anyone already said this but your parked car is automatically saved as a waypoint if you use car bluetooth or carplay. Don’t have to remember to use backtrack, you can just load up your parked car waypoint.
 
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Potentially great feature, but needing to turn it on in advance (?!)… who plans on getting lost? It should be one of those things always running in the background, available WHEN you discover you need it.
That is kind of true. If you know in advance you’ll need it you could just set camp or whatever as a waypoint anyway.
 
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