When introducing the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple showed off a redesigned and more extensive Compass app. The truth is, however, that the app is also available for current smartwatches that can be updated for watchOS 9. As the recent watchOS 9 updates began to roll out, the new Compass app is available for all models, including the Apple Watch Series 5 and Apple Watch SE.
First, the redesigned Compass App features an analog compass that displays a digital view of the current bearing and direction. Users can tap to display a zoomed view of current bearing, elevation, inclination and latitude and longitude for more information.
It should be noted, however, that some features will be limited to the new Apple Watch SE / Series 6 and above – such as using the “waypoints” feature with custom color schemes/symbols The Waypoints feature allows you to mark points of interest in the Compass App.
All Waypoints will be displayed in the Compass Home view so users can retrieve them when needed.
Secondly, Apple Watch Series 6 and newer models will also have access to Backtrack, which uses GPS to record the route the user has taken so they can return to it if they get lost.
Finally, watchOS 9 is available for Apple Watch Series 4 and later, so if you’re interested, you can manually check for updates now.
