The quickest way to change your phone's time

On most phones, you change the time through the Settings app. Open Settings, find the Date and Time option (usually under System or General), and toggle off the automatic time setting. Once you turn off "Set automatically" or "Automatic date and time," you can manually enter the correct hour and minute. The exact names and location of these settings differ between Android and iPhone, but the principle is the same on both.

If your phone is set to update the time automatically—which is the default on most devices—it pulls the correct time from your mobile carrier or internet connection. This is why your phone usually shows the right time without you doing anything. Turning off automatic time is necessary before you can make manual changes.

Key Takeaways

  • On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Date and Time, then turn off Set Automatically and adjust the time manually.
  • On Android, go to Settings > System > Date and Time (or Settings > Date and Time), turn off Automatic Date and Time, then set the time yourself.
  • Your phone normally updates its time automatically from your carrier or internet, so manual changes are rarely necessary.
  • If you change the time manually and then turn automatic updates back on, your phone will return to the correct time on its own.

How to change the time on an iPhone

Open the Settings app and tap General. Scroll down and tap Date and Time. You will see a toggle labeled Set Automatically—tap it to turn it off. Once it is off, the Time Zone field becomes editable, and a new field labeled Time appears below it.

Tap the Time field and use the plus and minus buttons to adjust the hour and minute to what you want. The display shows the time in 24-hour format by default, but you can switch to 12-hour format by going back to the Date and Time menu and toggling the 24-Hour Time option. When you are done, tap outside the time field or press the back arrow to save your changes.

How to change the time on Android

Open the Settings app and look for Date and Time. On most Android phones this is under System, but some manufacturers put it directly in the main Settings menu—if you do not see it in System, scroll through the main list. Tap Date and Time, then find the toggle for Automatic Date and Time (sometimes labeled Set Time Automatically) and turn it off.

Once automatic updates are off, you will see separate fields for Date and Time. Tap the Time field and enter the hour and minute using the keyboard or the plus and minus buttons, depending on your phone model. Some Android phones let you choose between 12-hour and 24-hour format in the same menu. Save your changes by tapping outside the field or pressing the back button.

Why your phone's time might be wrong

If your phone shows the wrong time even though automatic updates are on, the problem is usually that your phone has lost connection to the time source. This happens most often when you travel across time zones and your phone has not yet connected to a new carrier network, or when you are in an area with poor signal.

Turning automatic updates off and on again often fixes this. Go to Date and Time settings, toggle Automatic Date and Time off, wait a few seconds, then toggle it back on. Your phone will reconnect to the network and pull the correct time. If the time is still wrong after that, restart your phone—this forces it to reconnect to the carrier and refresh the time.

When you might need to change the time manually

You rarely need to change the time manually on a modern phone, because automatic updates work in almost all situations. The main exceptions are if you are testing an app that depends on the system time, if you are troubleshooting a problem that requires the time to be wrong on purpose, or if you are using an older phone in an area where the carrier does not send time updates.

If you change the time manually and then turn automatic updates back on, your phone will overwrite your manual change and return to the correct time. This is by design—it prevents your phone from staying on the wrong time if you forget to switch automatic updates back on.

Changing the time zone without changing the time

If you want to change your time zone but keep the actual time the same, turn off automatic updates first. Then change the Time Zone field without touching the Time field itself. Your phone will adjust what time it displays, but the underlying system time stays the same. This is useful if you travel and want your phone to show local time without losing track of what time it is back home.

Some phones let you set a second time zone in the Clock app itself, which is often easier than changing your system time zone. Open the Clock app, look for a World Clock or Time Zone option, and add the time zone you want to track. This way your phone keeps the correct local time but also shows you what time it is somewhere else.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing the time manually affect my alarms or calendar?

Yes. If you set an alarm for 7 a.m. and then manually change the time to 3 p.m., the alarm will go off at what the system thinks is 7 a.m.—which is now 3 hours away. Calendar events work the same way. This is why manually changing the time is usually a bad idea unless you have a specific reason to do it.

What happens if I change the time and then lose power?

Modern phones have a battery-backed clock that keeps time even when the phone is off. If you change the time manually and the phone loses power, the time you set will be preserved. When the phone turns back on and reconnects to the network, automatic updates will correct it if they are still on.

Can I change the time on my phone if automatic updates are on?

No. You must turn off automatic updates first. If you try to tap the time field while automatic updates are on, nothing will happen—the field is locked. This is a safety feature to prevent accidental changes.

Why does my phone show a different time than my computer?

Your phone and computer may be on different time zones, or one of them may have automatic updates turned off. Check that both devices have automatic updates on and are set to the same time zone. If they are and the times still differ, one device may have lost connection to the network and needs to be restarted.