The quickest way to change your iPhone's date and time
Open Settings, tap General, then tap Date & Time. Toggle off "Set Automatically" if it is on, then tap the date and time fields to change them manually. If you leave "Set Automatically" on, your phone will pull the correct date and time from your carrier or Wi-Fi network, and you will not need to do anything.
Most people should leave "Set Automatically" turned on. Your phone syncs with Apple's time servers whenever it connects to the internet, so the date and time stay correct without you touching anything. You only need to change them manually if you are in a place where the automatic sync is not working, or if you are deliberately setting your phone to a different time for testing purposes.
The reason this matters: if your date and time are wrong, your phone's security certificates stop working properly. Websites may refuse to load, apps may not open, and your phone will not be able to send or receive encrypted messages. A wrong date can also break two-factor authentication codes, which means you may not be able to log into your accounts even if you know your password.
Key Takeaways
- Leave "Set Automatically" on in Settings > General > Date & Time unless you have a specific reason to change it manually.
- If your date or time is wrong, websites and apps may refuse to work, and you may be locked out of accounts that use two-factor authentication.
- Turning off automatic time sync can happen by accident if you change your time zone or if your phone loses internet connection for a long time.
- If you manually change the date and time, remember to turn "Set Automatically" back on so your phone corrects itself when it reconnects to the internet.
When automatic time sync stops working
Your iPhone pulls the correct time from your cellular network or Wi-Fi connection. If you are in airplane mode, or if your phone has no signal and no Wi-Fi, the automatic sync cannot happen. In those cases, the date and time will stay whatever they were the last time your phone synced.
If you travel across time zones, your phone should update automatically as long as "Set Automatically" is on. However, if you turn off location services or disable automatic time sync before traveling, your phone will keep the old time zone until you manually fix it or turn automatic sync back on.
Occasionally, a software update or a glitch can turn off "Set Automatically" without you doing anything. If you notice your phone's time is wrong and you did not change it yourself, go back to Settings > General > Date & Time and check whether the toggle is on.
The difference between "Set Automatically" and manual time changes
When "Set Automatically" is on, your phone ignores whatever date and time you see on the screen and uses the time from your network instead. This means if you try to manually change the time while automatic sync is on, the change will not stick — your phone will revert to the network time within seconds.
To actually change the date or time, you must first toggle "Set Automatically" off. Once it is off, the date and time fields become editable. You can tap each field and use the scroll wheels to set a new date or time. When you are done, tap "Back" to save your changes.
After you finish testing or troubleshooting, turn "Set Automatically" back on. Your phone will then sync with the network and correct itself if you made any mistakes during manual entry.
Why your phone's date and time affect security
Your iPhone uses the date and time to verify that security certificates are valid. Every website you visit sends your phone a certificate that says "this website is who it claims to be, and this certificate is good until [date]." If your phone's date is set to after that expiration date, your phone will reject the certificate and refuse to load the website.
The same logic applies to app security and encrypted messages. If your date is wrong, your phone cannot verify that the sender is who they say they are, so it blocks the message or refuses to open the app. This is a safety feature — it prevents attackers from using expired or forged certificates — but it means a wrong date can lock you out of legitimate services.
Two-factor authentication codes are time-based on most services. These codes expire after 30 seconds. If your phone's time is off by more than a minute or two, the codes your phone generates will not match the codes the service expects, and you will not be able to log in.
What to do if changing the date manually does not work
If you toggle "Set Automatically" off but the date and time fields are still grayed out and uneditable, your phone may have a restriction enabled. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions. If this is on, tap Allowed Apps and make sure Date & Time is not blocked. Some organizations also use Mobile Device Management (MDM) profiles that lock the date and time — if you see a message about a "configuration profile," contact your IT department or the organization that manages your phone.
If you are still unable to change the date after checking those settings, try restarting your phone. Hold down the power button and volume button together, slide to power off, wait 10 seconds, then hold the power button again until you see the Apple logo. After the restart, go back to Settings > General > Date & Time and try again.
If the date and time are still wrong after a restart, and "Set Automatically" is on but not working, your phone may not have a network connection. Check that you are connected to Wi-Fi or have cellular signal. If you have signal but automatic sync still is not working, try turning Wi-Fi off and on, or turning airplane mode on for 10 seconds and then off again.
How to set a specific time zone if you travel
When "Set Automatically" is on, your phone uses your location to set the time zone. If you travel and your phone does not automatically update to the new time zone, go to Settings > General > Date & Time and look for the "Time Zone" field below the date and time toggles. Tap it and type the name of the city or time zone you are in. Your phone will then show the correct local time.
You do not need to turn off "Set Automatically" to change your time zone — the time zone setting and the automatic sync are separate. However, if you manually set a time zone, your phone will stick with that zone even if you travel again, so remember to let it auto-update once you are settled in your new location.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will changing my iPhone's date affect my apps or data?
Changing the date will not delete your data, but it can break apps and services that rely on the correct date. Photos and messages may be timestamped incorrectly, and apps that check dates (like banking apps or subscription services) may refuse to open. Turn "Set Automatically" back on as soon as you are done testing.
Can I set my iPhone to a date in the past or future?
Yes, you can manually set any date you want after you turn off "Set Automatically." However, doing so will break most apps and websites until you fix it. This is useful only for testing or troubleshooting — do not leave your phone set to the wrong date.
What if my iPhone says the date is from 1970 or 1969?
This usually means your phone lost its connection to the network and has reverted to a default date. Turn on Wi-Fi or cellular, wait a few seconds, then go to Settings > General > Date & Time and make sure "Set Automatically" is on. Your phone should sync to the correct date within a minute.
Does changing the date on my iPhone affect my Apple ID or iCloud?
If your date is wrong, iCloud may not sync properly, and you may not be able to sign into your Apple ID. Once you fix the date and turn "Set Automatically" back on, iCloud will resume syncing and your account will work normally again.