Where to find the time settings on your iPhone

Open Settings on your home screen, then tap General. Scroll down and tap Date & Time. You will see a toggle labeled Set Automatically at the top — this is what controls whether your iPhone sets its own time or lets you change it manually.

If Set Automatically is turned on (the toggle is green), your iPhone pulls the time from your carrier or Wi-Fi network and you cannot change it by hand. You must turn this toggle off first. Once you do, two new fields appear: Time Zone and Set Time.

Key Takeaways

  • Turn off Set Automatically in Settings > General > Date & Time before you can manually change your iPhone's time.
  • After you turn off automatic time, you can tap Set Time to enter the exact hour and minute you want.
  • Changing your time zone in the same menu updates what time your iPhone displays without changing the actual time.
  • Most iPhones should keep Set Automatically turned on so the time stays correct without your intervention.
  • If you turn off automatic time and forget to turn it back on, your iPhone's clock will drift out of sync over days or weeks.

Turning off automatic time so you can set it manually

Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and look for the Set Automatically toggle. Tap it once to turn it off. The toggle will turn gray, and two new options will appear below it: Time Zone and Set Time.

Once Set Automatically is off, your iPhone stops syncing with your carrier or network. This means the time will not update on its own, even if you travel to a different time zone or your carrier updates its clock. You are now responsible for keeping the time correct by hand.

Setting the exact time you want

After you turn off Set Automatically, tap the Set Time field. A clock picker will appear on your screen. You can scroll the hour and minute wheels up and down to set the exact time, or tap directly on the numbers to type them in.

Once you have the time you want, tap outside the picker or press the back arrow to close it. Your iPhone's clock will now show the time you entered. The time will stay at that setting until you change it again or turn Set Automatically back on.

Changing your time zone without changing the actual time

If you only want to change what time your iPhone displays — for example, because you traveled to a different time zone — tap Time Zone in the Date & Time menu. A search field appears where you can type the name of a city or region.

Type the city name (like "Denver" or "London") and tap it from the list. Your iPhone will update the time it displays to match that zone, but only if Set Automatically is turned on. If automatic time is off, changing the time zone does nothing — you must manually adjust the time yourself using Set Time.

Why you should usually leave automatic time turned on

Keeping Set Automatically on means your iPhone stays in sync with your carrier's network time. This matters because your phone's internal clock drifts slightly over time — it is not perfectly accurate on its own. Without automatic updates, your iPhone can lose or gain several minutes per week, and you will not notice until the time is noticeably wrong.

Automatic time also updates your time zone when you travel, so you do not have to remember to change it by hand. The only reason to turn it off is if you need your iPhone to show a time that does not match your actual location — for example, if you are testing an app that depends on a specific time, or if you are troubleshooting a problem that requires a manual time change.

Turning automatic time back on

Go back to Settings > General > Date & Time and tap the Set Automatically toggle to turn it back on. The toggle will turn green, and the Time Zone and Set Time fields will disappear. Your iPhone will when ready sync with your carrier or network and set itself to the correct time.

If you have been running with automatic time off for a while, your iPhone's clock may be significantly off when you turn it back on. Do not be alarmed — it will correct itself within a few seconds as it syncs with the network.

What to do if the time is still wrong after you set it

If you set the time manually and it is still incorrect, first check that Set Automatically is actually off. Go back to Settings > General > Date & Time and look at the toggle. If it is green, automatic time is on and your manual setting was overwritten.

If Set Automatically is off and the time is still wrong, try turning it back on for a few seconds to let your iPhone sync with the network, then turn it off again and set the time manually. Sometimes the network time is slightly different from what your iPhone thought it was, and this forces a refresh.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set different times for different apps?

No. The time setting in Date & Time applies to your entire iPhone — all apps see the same time. If you need an app to think it is a different time for testing, you must change the iPhone's system time itself using the steps above.

Will changing the time affect my alarms or reminders?

Yes. If you set your iPhone's time to an earlier hour, alarms and reminders scheduled for the current time may trigger when ready or be skipped. It is best to turn automatic time back on as soon as you finish whatever you needed the manual time change for.

What happens if I travel and forget to change my time zone?

If Set Automatically is on, your iPhone will update the time zone on its own once it connects to a network in the new location. If automatic time is off, you must manually change the time zone in Settings > General > Date & Time by tapping Time Zone and selecting your new location.

Can I set my iPhone to a time that does not exist, like 25:00?

No. The time picker only lets you enter hours from 1 to 12 (or 0 to 23 in 24-hour mode) and minutes from 0 to 59. If you try to enter an invalid time, the picker will not accept it.