Where to find the time settings on your iPad

The time on your iPad updates automatically by default, pulling the correct time from Apple's servers over the internet. If your iPad shows the wrong time, the fastest fix is to turn off automatic time and set it manually. You reach these settings through the Settings app, which is the gray icon with gears that sits on your home screen.

Open Settings, then tap General. Scroll down and tap Date & Time. You will see a toggle labeled Set Automatically. This toggle controls whether your iPad fetches the time from the network or uses a time you enter yourself.

Key Takeaways

  • Your iPad normally sets the time automatically, but you can turn this off and enter the time manually in Settings > General > Date & Time.
  • Turning off automatic time also lets you change your time zone independently, which is useful if you travel or want to test how apps behave in different zones.
  • If automatic time is on but your iPad still shows the wrong time, restart the device or check that Wi-Fi or cellular is connected and working.
  • Changing the iPad's system time affects when notifications arrive, when scheduled tasks run, and how apps record timestamps on files and messages.

Turning off automatic time to set it manually

When Set Automatically is on, your iPad ignores any time you try to enter. To change the time yourself, tap the toggle to turn it off. The toggle will turn gray, and two new fields will appear: one for the date and one for the time.

Tap the date field to open a date picker. Scroll the wheels to select the month, day, and year you want. Then tap the time field and scroll to set the hour, minute, and AM or PM. Once you have entered both, tap outside the fields or press the back arrow to save your changes. The time on your iPad will now show what you entered.

Changing your time zone without changing the time

Below the date and time fields, you will see Time Zone. Even when automatic time is on, you can change your time zone manually. Tap the Time Zone field to see a list of cities and regions. Type the name of a city or region to search, or scroll through the full list.

Changing your time zone shifts what time your iPad displays, but it does not change the actual moment in time — it just changes how that moment is labeled. If you set your time zone to London while sitting in New York, your iPad will show a time five hours ahead of what a clock on the wall shows. This is useful if you want to see what time it is in another location, or if you are testing how an app behaves in a different zone.

Why your iPad might show the wrong time even with automatic time on

If Set Automatically is on but your iPad still displays an incorrect time, the device cannot reach Apple's time servers. This usually means your Wi-Fi or cellular connection is not working properly. Check that Wi-Fi is on and connected by opening Control Center (swipe down from the top right corner) and looking for the Wi-Fi icon. If Wi-Fi is off, tap it to turn it on.

If Wi-Fi is on but not connecting, try restarting your iPad. Press and hold the top button and one of the volume buttons until the power-off slider appears. Drag the slider to turn off the iPad, wait a few seconds, then press the top button again to turn it back on. Once it restarts and reconnects to Wi-Fi, the time should update automatically within a few seconds.

What changes when you alter your iPad's system time

Your iPad's system time controls when notifications arrive, when alarms sound, and when scheduled tasks run. If you set the time backward, an alarm that was supposed to go off in five minutes will not sound until the system time catches up to that moment again. If you set the time forward, any notifications or alarms scheduled for times you skipped will trigger when ready when the system time passes them.

Apps also use your iPad's system time to record when you send a message, take a photo, or create a file. If you change the system time, the timestamps on those items will reflect the time you set, not the actual time they were created. This can cause confusion if you are trying to organize files by when they were made, or if you are sharing files with others who expect the timestamps to match real time.

Resetting to automatic time

To go back to automatic time after you have set it manually, open Settings > General > Date & Time and tap the Set Automatically toggle to turn it back on. The toggle will turn blue, and the date and time fields will disappear. Your iPad will fetch the correct time from the network and display it automatically from that point forward.

If you have changed your time zone manually and want to return to automatic time zone detection, turning on Set Automatically will reset the time zone to match your location as well. Your iPad determines location-based time zones using Wi-Fi networks and cell towers, so make sure you are connected to the internet for this to work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set different times for different apps?

No. The time you set in Settings applies to your entire iPad. All apps see the same system time. If you need an app to behave as though it is a different time, you would have to change the iPad's system time, which affects everything on the device.

Will changing the time affect my backups or iCloud sync?

Changing the system time can cause issues with iCloud sync and backups because Apple's servers use timestamps to track which version of a file is newest. If your iPad's time is far in the past or future, iCloud may become confused about which changes to sync. It is best to keep automatic time on to avoid this problem.

What if the time zone list does not show my city?

The time zone list includes major cities and regions. If your city is not listed, search for the nearest large city in your time zone or type the time zone abbreviation (like EST or PST). You can also scroll through the full list to find your region by country.

Does changing the iPad time affect the time on my iPhone or Mac?

No. Each device has its own system time. Changing the time on your iPad does not change the time on any other device. However, if you use iCloud to sync settings across devices, changing the time zone on your iPad may affect which time zone is shown on your other devices if they are set to sync time zone information.