Where to find the time settings on your phone

The time settings live in different places depending on whether you have an iPhone or Android phone, but both are in the main Settings app. On an iPhone, open Settings, tap General, then Date & Time. On Android, open Settings, scroll down to System (or About phone on some models), then tap Date and Time.

Your phone may be set to update the time automatically based on your location and network. If it is, you will see a toggle for "Set Automatically" or "Automatic Date and Time" turned on. This is the default on most phones, which is why you rarely have to think about the time — your phone handles it.

Key Takeaways

  • iPhone time settings are in Settings > General > Date & Time; Android settings are in Settings > System > Date and Time.
  • Most phones automatically update the time from your network or location, so manual changes are rarely needed.
  • If you turn off automatic time, you can set the time and timezone yourself, but your phone will not update when you travel.
  • Changing the time manually can affect alarms, calendar events, and apps that depend on accurate time, so only do this if automatic time is not working.
  • If your phone shows the wrong time even with automatic updates on, restart your phone or check that location services are enabled.

Turning off automatic time to set it manually

If you need to change the time yourself, you first have to turn off the automatic update. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Date & Time and toggle off "Set Automatically". On Android, go to Settings > System > Date and Time and toggle off "Automatic Date and Time".

Once automatic time is off, new options appear below. On iPhone, you will see "Time Zone" and "Set Date & Time" — tap "Set Date & Time" to adjust the hours and minutes. On Android, you will see "Time Zone" and "Set Date" and "Set Time" as separate options. Tap each one to change it.

Be aware that turning off automatic time means your phone will not update when you cross into a different timezone or when daylight saving time changes. If you travel, you will have to manually update the timezone again, or turn automatic time back on.

Setting the timezone separately from the time

Your timezone and the actual time are two different things. The timezone tells your phone what region you are in; the time is the hours and minutes. You can change one without changing the other, though usually you want them to match.

On both iPhone and Android, the timezone option appears in the same Date & Time settings. On iPhone it is labeled "Time Zone"; on Android it is also "Time Zone". Tap it and search for your city or region. Your phone will show you the current time in that timezone so you can confirm it is correct before you select it.

If you are traveling and your automatic time is on, your phone should update the timezone on its own once you arrive and connect to the local network. If it does not, you can manually set the timezone without turning off automatic time — just tap the timezone option and select your current location.

What to do if your phone shows the wrong time even on automatic

If automatic time is on but your phone still shows the wrong time, the problem is usually that your phone cannot reach the network time server or your location services are off. Restart your phone first — this fixes the connection in most cases and takes less than a minute.

If restarting does not work, check that location services are on. On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and make sure it is toggled on. On Android, go to Settings > Location and turn it on. Your phone uses location to figure out which timezone you are in, so if location is off, the automatic time may not update correctly.

If location is already on and the time is still wrong after a restart, try turning automatic time off and back on again. This forces your phone to reconnect to the time server. Wait a few seconds after toggling it back on before checking whether the time has updated.

Why changing the time manually can cause problems

Alarms, reminders, and calendar events all depend on your phone knowing the correct time. If you set the time manually to something wrong, alarms may go off at the wrong moment, calendar events may show at incorrect times, and apps that use timestamps — like banking apps or email — may behave strangely.

Some apps also use time to verify that you are who you say you are. If your phone time is very far off from the actual time, two-factor authentication codes may not work, or your phone may refuse to connect to find websites. This is why automatic time exists — it keeps everything working without you having to think about it.

If you have to change the time manually for troubleshooting, do it only as a temporary step. Turn automatic time back on as soon as the problem is fixed so your phone returns to the correct time.

Changing the time format from 12-hour to 24-hour

Separate from the actual time is how your phone displays it. You can show time as 3:45 PM (12-hour format) or 15:45 (24-hour format). This is a display preference and does not change when your alarms or events actually happen.

On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Date & Time and look for "24-Hour Time". Toggle it on to switch to 24-hour format, or leave it off for 12-hour format. On Android, go to Settings > System > Date and Time and look for "Use 24-hour format" — toggle it on or off the same way.

This setting affects how the time appears in your clock app, on your lock screen, and in notifications. It does not affect how your calendar or other apps display time — some apps have their own format settings you can change separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my phone keep changing the time back after I set it manually?

Your automatic time is probably still on. Go to Settings > General > Date & Time (iPhone) or Settings > System > Date and Time (Android) and check whether "Set Automatically" or "Automatic Date and Time" is toggled on. If it is, your phone will override any manual change you make within a few seconds. Turn it off first if you want the manual time to stick.

What happens if I set my phone time to the wrong date?

Apps that depend on dates — like email, banking, and two-factor authentication — may stop working correctly. Calendar events will show on the wrong day. The safest approach is to turn automatic time back on and let your phone fix it, or manually set it to today's date as soon as you realize the mistake.

Can I set different times for different apps?

No. The time setting applies to your entire phone. All apps see the same time. If you need a specific app to show a different time, that app would have to have its own time zone or display setting, which most do not.

Does changing the timezone affect my alarms?

Yes. If you change your timezone without changing the actual time, your alarms will go off at a different clock time. For example, if you set an alarm for 7:00 AM and then change your timezone from Eastern to Pacific, the alarm will still ring at 7:00 AM Eastern time, which is 4:00 AM Pacific. Always update both the timezone and the time when you travel, or keep automatic time on so your phone does it for you.

Why is my phone time different from my computer or watch?

Your devices may be on different networks or have automatic time turned off. If automatic time is on for both, they should match within a few seconds. If they do not, restart both devices. If the difference is more than a few minutes, one of them may have automatic time off, or one may be set to a different timezone.