compass – BIG

WatchOS 9 brought several new additions to the Compass app, including the new ‘Backtrack’ feature. Here’s how to get the most out of it.

First, the compass face is easier to read, with oversized numbers and directions in the centre of the app. Compared to the older version, it’s easier to glance down and get a quick reading from your wrist.

Beyond the new look, tapping on the ‘feet icon’ in the bottom right of the screen starts backtrack mode. This drops a pin where you are and shows you a route back to that location when you walk away. This can be really helpful for people who like to explore the woods without sticking to a trail. Once ready to return from your hike, tap the pause button and choose the ‘Retrace steps’ option. This is more useful than just following the line in backtrack mode since it makes the navigation dot and line on-screen move more like turn-by-turn navigation in Apple or Google Maps.

It’s also worth noting that you can turn the Digital Crown to zoom in and out of the centre of the compass to show a map.

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The icon in the bottom left of the screen allows you to drop pins to label places. This option lets you name the place and selelct the colour and icon for the label you’re dropping on the map. You can add these labels to some of the watch faces with Complications, but unfortunately, they don’t pop up in Apple Maps. Because of this, the only way to manage them is in your Compass app, which isn’t easy. Regardless, it can be a helpful feature in a pinch or on a few weekend hikes.

The final button expands the data you get from the compass by showing your elevation, incline, longitude and latitude. Further, you can set a bearing here if you’re trying to use the compass to navigate somewhere. You should also know that the compass is set to magnetic North by default, and you’ll need to change it to true North to open the Settings app on the Apple Watch.

To use the most up-to-date version of the Compass app, you’ll need an Apple Watch Series 6 or later, Apple Watch SE (1st-gen) and later, or the Apple Watch Ultra. You also need to be on watchOS 9. Older Apple Watch models can still access a basic Compass app, but it doesn’t have the Backtrack or ‘Waypoint’ features.

You can learn more about the Apple Watch Compass app from Apple’s Support page.

There’s a reason why many people have renditions of old-fashioned compasses tattooed on their shoulder or forearm: A compass is a powerful symbol of staying found; and body art metaphors aside, it’s still the best battery-free tool for getting around in the outdoors, especially compared to the finicky and sometimes less than accurate compass apps that can be downloaded to a smartphone. With a little practice, a map and compass duo is also very easy to use. Here’s a primer.

Photo by Conor Mihell

Orienteering compasses

Orienteering compasses were invented in Scandinavia nearly a century ago. This style of compass has several key features: a clear baseplate with straight edges (A); a rotating dial (B), with direction (North, South, East, West) and corresponding degree (0-360) indicators; a magnetized needle floating within the dial (C); a red orienting arrow etched in the base of the dial (D); orienting grid lines (usually red or black) within the dial (E); and a marker on the baseplate at the top of the dial, known as an index mark (F), where directions are read.

Photo by Conor Mihell

Compasses with mirrors

Some orienteering compasses also have sighting mirrors, which improve accuracy. The best compasses are made by manufacturers like Suunto, Silva and Brunton.

Photo by Conor Mihell

Finding your route

Orienteering compasses work like a protractor to calculate directions from topographic maps and marine charts. To navigate in a straight line from one point to another, you must first identify your starting and ending points on a map.

Photo by Conor Mihell

Using a Compass to Measure a Direction from a Map

Use the baseplate of the compass to create a straight line between your starting point and your destination, with the index mark facing your direction of travel. Next, rotate the dial of the compass so that north on the dial is aligned with the top (north) on the map. Match up the orienting grid lines within the dial of the compass with the grid lines on the map to fine-tune your alignment. Once you’re satisfied the compass and map are in alignment, read the direction (aka “Bearing”) from the index mark. For this process you can ignore the magnetized needle when calculating a direction. In the case of measuring a direction across Havilland Bay, our bearing is 296 degrees.

Photo by Conor Mihell

Dealing with Declination

A direction measured from a map is known as a true bearing; that is, the direction is measured in reference to true (or, more accurately, map grid) north. However, a magnetized needle in a compass is attracted to magnetic, not true, north. This difference is called “magnetic declination.” Declination varies across Canada, with values in Ontario spanning about 10 degrees. The value for your location can be determined with an online calculator or from the legend on the right-hand margin of Canadian topographic maps.

Photo by Conor Mihell

Getting your bearings

In my hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, for example, declination is approximately 8 degrees west of true north. Therefore, to compensate for this difference a navigator must add 8 degrees to any direction measured from a map before using the compass in the field. A mnemonic is the easiest way to remember how to deal with declination: Declination west is best, or added to the true bearing; declination east equals least, or subtracted from the true bearing. So in the case of our example, our magnetic bearing—or the direction we’ll follow on our compass to boat across Havilland Bay—will be 296 + 8 = 304 degrees. Some orienteering compasses have an adjustable dial to allow you to compensate for declination without doing any math; if you have this type of compass it’s important to check the setting and make sure it is correct for your area to avoid error.

Photo by Conor Mihell

Using the Compass to Travel from Point A to B

Hold the compass level and at waist height, away from anything metallic (such as belt buckles or phones), so you can see the dial.

Photo by Conor Mihell

Eye-level view

You can also hold the compass at eye-level and angle the mirror to view the dial.

Photo by Conor Mihell

Align yourself with your compass

Rotate your body (or boat) so that the floating magnetized needle becomes aligned with the red orienting arrow in the compass dial, at this point you are facing your destination.

Sight a target along your bearing to follow a straight line; in a forest, this may be a prominent tree or rock outcrop. Walk to your target and repeat, pivoting to align the needle in the orienting arrow and sighting another target along your bearing. When travelling on the water, set your compass in a location that’s level and away from anything metal, and steer to keep the needle aligned with the orienting arrow, with the index mark aligned with the bow of your watercraft.

The value for your location can be determined with an online calculator or from the legend on the right-hand margin of Canadian topographic maps.

Orienting the Map to North

Besides enabling you to travel in a straight line through a dense forest or across a foggy bay, a compass can also be used to make sense of your surroundings. This is called orienting your map to the north.

Photo by Conor Mihell

Start by rotating the dial of the compass so 0 degrees (or N) is aligned with the index mark at the top of the dial. Set the compass flat on your map, align the orienting grid lines in the compass dial with the grid lines on the map, and rotate the map and compass together so that the magnetized needle is aligned with the orienting arrow. At this point the map is oriented with your surroundings, allowing you to visually identify prominent landmarks in your surroundings.

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