How to Disable Backtrack on Apple Watch Turning On Automatically

One of the more curious features of Apple Watch is how the Compass Backtrack feature automatically activates and takes over the Apple Watch screen during workouts, seemingly at random, or even every time a “Hiking” workout or sometimes any outdoor workout of any sort is selected or initiated. Given that the vast majority of hikers, trail runners, joggers, and walkers will typically be on an obvious path or trail, and that trails are fairly obvious to follow, it’s a little unnecessary for Nanny Watch to kick in automatically with a retracing system that takes over your Apple Watch face. Additionally, what nearly every Apple Watch owner wants to see during a workout and probably why they bought an Apple Watch in the first place, is to view typical workout stats, like duration of workout, distance covered, and heart rate information. Nonetheless, Apple Watch does not want you getting lost while walking at your local dog park, and so the Compass will automatically activate with the Backtrack feature and your entire Apple Watch screen is suddenly displaying mostly useless information that is irrelevant to your workout.

The Backtrack feature is probably pretty useful if you routinely go hiking in the backcountry off trails, or if you’re navigating a complex maze of a trail system network where everything looks the same, but both of those are fairly rare for most leisurely hikers, who typically hike on obvious trails that are typically out-and-backs or loops.

How to Disable Automatic Backtrack Compass on Apple Watch

It’s not clear when the automatic Backtrack feature became enabled by default on Apple Watch, and curiously it does not appear to be enabled on everyones Apple Watch either, so the inconsistency can make this feature frustrating as well.

1. Open the “Watch” app on the paired iPhone
2. Scroll down to “Workout” and tap on that
3. Find the section under Compass that says “Backtrack” and toggle that OFF

Disabling the automatic Backtrack feature of Compass for Workouts does not prevent the Compass Backtrack feature from being used, it just simply turns the feature off from enabling itself automatically. Some users report that disabling this feature may help battery life a little bit, though I personally have not noticed any difference.

The setting for Backtrack being enabled says it will “Start a Backtrack session when a workout begins in a remote location” but it’s not clear how Apple defines a ‘remote location’ considering I personally have had this feature activate automatically at city parks and suburban parks, as well as actual trail systems that I would still not consider remote locations.

There are a large number of complaints on Apple support forums with many threads on this issue, none of which offer any solution or that have been able to figure out a way to make this stop. With a little digging, I found the setting to stop this behavior, and the Compass Backtrack feature no longer turns itself on.

Have you encountered the Compass Backtrack feature automatically enabling on your Apple Watch during an outdoor workout, hike, run, walk, or any other outdoor exercise? Did you turn the feature off? Do you like the automatic Backtrack feature? Share your thoughts in the comments.