How to find old trips in your iPhone photos

Updated September 26, 2026

Step by step

1. Check whether a photo has a place

   In the Photos app, open an old photo and swipe up. If a map appears, it has a location.

2. Pick a wide period

   Don't remember the exact dates? In Backtrack, pick a range a bit wider than the trip. You can adjust the dates later.

3. Or let the app discover it

   Add your city in Where I live and tap Automatic trip discovery: Backtrack finds the periods away from home and builds the trip. The free plan reveals one trip automatically; Premium reveals them all.

4. Review and save

   Check the stops and name the trip. Your original photos stay in the Photos app, unchanged.

5. Relive it

   Explore the trip on the map, see your statistics and create an animation of the route.

If some photos are missing

No location

Photos without a place, screenshots and screen recordings are not added to a trip.

Limited access

If Backtrack can only see some photos, widen access in Settings > Backtrack > Photos.

Photos in iCloud

Photos stored only in iCloud appear as usual; previews may take a moment to load.