The fastest way to change your iPhone's clock
Open Settings, tap General, then tap Date & Time. Toggle off Set Automatically if it's on. Now you can tap the date and time fields to change them manually. When you're done, toggle Set Automatically back on if you want your phone to sync with your carrier's time again.
That's the complete process. Most people need this when they've traveled across time zones, their phone's clock drifted, or they're troubleshooting a device that's showing the wrong time. The manual option stays available even after you turn automatic sync back on—you just won't use it unless something goes wrong again.
Key Takeaways
- Manual time changes happen in Settings > General > Date & Time, and you must turn off Set Automatically first.
- Turning Set Automatically back on makes your iPhone sync with your carrier's network time, which is usually the right choice.
- If your clock keeps drifting after you set it, the problem is usually a software glitch that a restart or iOS update will fix.
- Changing the time on your iPhone does not affect alarms, reminders, or calendar events—they move with the clock automatically.
When Set Automatically is already on
If Set Automatically is already enabled, your iPhone is pulling the correct time from your mobile carrier or Wi-Fi network. You won't see editable time fields—they'll be grayed out. This is the default state and the reason most people never need to touch this setting.
If the time shown is still wrong even though Set Automatically is on, the problem isn't the clock setting itself. Restart your iPhone by powering it off and back on, or check that you have an active cellular or Wi-Fi connection. If the time is still wrong after a restart, your phone may need an iOS update, which you can check in Settings > General > Software Update.
Changing the time zone without changing the actual time
Your iPhone's time zone setting is separate from the clock itself. If you travel and want to see local time automatically, leave Set Automatically on—your phone will detect the new time zone through your carrier or Wi-Fi and adjust the display without you doing anything.
If you want to keep your phone on your home time zone while traveling, turn off Set Automatically, and your clock will stay frozen at whatever time you set it to. This is rare, but useful if you're coordinating with people back home and don't want to do mental math every time you check the time.
What happens to alarms and reminders when you change the time
Alarms and reminders are tied to the actual time on your phone, not to a fixed moment. If you set an alarm for 7:00 a.m. and then change your phone's clock backward by two hours, that alarm will go off at what your phone now calls 7:00 a.m.—which is two hours earlier than it would have before.
Calendar events work the same way. If you have a meeting scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and you manually change your clock, the meeting time on your calendar won't change, but it will now occur at a different moment relative to the rest of your day. For this reason, avoid manually changing the time unless you have a specific reason—let Set Automatically handle it instead.
Why your iPhone's clock might be wrong
The most common cause is a weak or missing cellular or Wi-Fi connection. Your phone needs to reach your carrier's network or a time server to sync the correct time. If you're in an area with poor signal, turn on airplane mode and then off again, or connect to a different Wi-Fi network and see if the time corrects itself.
A second cause is an outdated iOS version. Apple releases updates that include time zone data and network fixes. Check Settings > General > Software Update to see if an update is waiting. A third cause is a software glitch that a straightforward restart will clear—power your phone off completely, wait a few seconds, and power it back on.
If the time is consistently wrong by the same amount (always two hours behind, for example), your time zone setting may be incorrect. Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and check that the time zone listed matches where you actually are.
Manually setting the time on older iPhones
The steps are identical on iPhone models going back several years. Open Settings, go to General, tap Date & Time, turn off Set Automatically, and adjust the date and time. The layout and wording may vary slightly depending on your iOS version, but the process is the same.
If you're running an older version of iOS and the Date & Time setting is hard to find, try Settings > General > About first to see your current iOS version. If it's more than two or three versions behind the current release, consider updating. Older iOS versions sometimes have bugs with time sync that newer versions fix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will changing my iPhone's time affect my cellular service or data?
No. Your carrier doesn't care what time your phone displays. Changing the clock won't disconnect you from the network or cause any service problems. The only thing that might happen is that time-sensitive features like two-factor authentication codes could become temporarily out of sync if your time is very far off from the actual time.
Can I set my iPhone to a time that doesn't exist, like during daylight saving time changes?
Yes, you can manually set your phone to any time you want, even times that don't exist in your time zone. Your phone won't stop you. However, this will confuse alarms, reminders, and calendar events, so it's not recommended unless you're testing something specific.
What if the date and time fields are still grayed out after I turn off Set Automatically?
Wait a few seconds after toggling Set Automatically off—sometimes the fields take a moment to become editable. If they stay grayed out, try restarting your iPhone. If they're still grayed out after a restart, your phone may have a software issue that requires connecting to a computer and restoring iOS through a Mac or PC.
Does changing the time on my iPhone change the time on my Apple Watch?
If your Apple Watch is paired with your iPhone, it will sync to your iPhone's time automatically. If you manually change your iPhone's time, your watch will update to match within a few minutes. If you want your watch on a different time than your phone, you'd need to unpair them first.