How to find your way back with Backtrack on an Apple Watch

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

Backtrack records where you walk using GPS, so that you can follow the same line back when the path is no longer clear. It needs no phone signal and no map. Apple intends it for remote places away from home, and it has to be started before you get lost.

These steps are for recent versions of watchOS.

Step by step

1. Start recording

   Open the Compass app and tap the Backtrack button, the one with the footprints. Tap Record Path. On an Apple Watch Ultra you can set the Action button to start it.

   Done

2. Walk

   Leave it running. You can go back to the watch face or use other apps. The recording continues in the background.

   Done

3. Retrace your steps

   When you want to return, open Compass, tap the Backtrack button and tap Retrace Path. Your route appears on the compass dial, with the place where you started marked as a white dot.

   Done

4. Follow the line

   Turn until the path is in front of you and walk along it. The watch shows the way you came, turn for turn, which is safer than a straight line through unknown ground.

   Done

5. Delete the path

   Back at the start, tap the Backtrack button and tap Delete Path.

   Done

6. Add waypoints for important places

   In the Compass app, tap the waypoint button and give the spot a label, a colour and a symbol, for example Car or Camp. Tap a waypoint on the dial later to see its distance, direction and how much higher or lower it is.

   Done

7. Use the automatic waypoints

   The watch can also show where your car is parked and the last place where the watch or iPhone had a mobile connection, which is where to walk if you need to call for help.

   Done

Good to know

Backtrack shows the line you walked, not the ground. It does not know about height differences, rivers or cliffs, so keep your eyes on the terrain.

In remote places without Wi-Fi, Backtrack can start by itself in the background when you leave known areas, on models that support it. Do not rely on that: start it yourself.

GPS uses a lot of battery. On a long day, combine it with Low Power Mode and carry a power bank for the phone.

For emergencies: how to use Emergency SOS on an Apple Watch. The basics of the app: how to use the Compass app on an Apple Watch.

In short: Compass app, Backtrack button, Record Path before you set off. To return: Backtrack button, Retrace Path, follow the line to the white dot. Delete Path when you are back.