Open Settings and Find the Date & Time Menu

To change your iPhone's date and time, start by opening the Settings app from your home screen. Tap the gear icon, then scroll down and tap General. Inside General, scroll down again and tap Date & Time. This menu controls both the automatic time updates and manual adjustments.

You'll see a toggle labeled Set Automatically at the top of the Date & Time screen. This toggle is turned on by default, which means your iPhone pulls the correct date and time from your cellular network or Wi-Fi connection. If you want to set the date and time yourself, you need to turn this toggle off first.

Key Takeaways

  • Turn off the "Set Automatically" toggle in Settings > General > Date & Time before you can manually change the date or time.
  • Once the toggle is off, tap the date field to change the date and the time field to change the time using the scroll wheels.
  • Your iPhone will revert to automatic time updates if you turn the toggle back on, overwriting any manual changes you made.
  • If your time zone is wrong but the time is correct, change only the time zone setting without turning off automatic updates.

Turn Off Automatic Updates

Tap the toggle next to Set Automatically to turn it off. The toggle will turn gray, and two new fields will appear below it: one for the date and one for the time. Until you turn this toggle off, the date and time fields are locked and you cannot tap them.

Turning off automatic updates means your iPhone will no longer sync with your network's time signal. This is useful if you're testing the clock, troubleshooting a time-related problem, or deliberately setting your device to a different time zone without changing your location. Keep in mind that turning this back on later will overwrite whatever date and time you set manually.

Change the Date Using the Scroll Wheels

Once automatic updates are off, tap the date field. A set of three scroll wheels will appear, showing the month, day, and year. Scroll each wheel up or down to set the date you want. The left wheel controls the month (January through December), the middle wheel controls the day (1 through 31, depending on the month), and the right wheel controls the year.

Scroll slowly to land on the exact date. If you overshoot, keep scrolling in the same direction and the wheel will loop around. For example, if you're on December and need January, keep scrolling down and you'll reach January again. Tap outside the scroll wheels or tap another field when you're finished with the date.

Change the Time Using Hours and Minutes

Tap the time field to reveal two scroll wheels: one for hours and one for minutes. The hours wheel shows numbers 1 through 12 (or 0 through 23 if your iPhone is set to 24-hour time). The minutes wheel shows 00 through 59 in five-minute increments by default, though you can scroll more slowly to select individual minutes.

Scroll the hours wheel to the hour you want, then scroll the minutes wheel to the minutes. If your iPhone is set to 12-hour time, you'll also see AM or PM displayed. Make sure you're setting the correct period of the day. Tap outside the wheels when you're done, and your new time will be saved.

Adjust Your Time Zone Without Turning Off Automatic Updates

If your date and time are correct but your time zone is wrong, you don't need to turn off automatic updates. Instead, scroll back up in the Date & Time menu and tap Time Zone. A search field will appear where you can type the name of your city or region. Your iPhone will show matching time zones below the search box.

Tap the time zone you want, and your iPhone will update when ready. This approach is better than turning off automatic updates because your phone will continue to sync with the network and stay accurate. You'll only change which time zone your iPhone thinks it's in, which affects how your calendar, alarms, and scheduled events display.

Turn Automatic Updates Back On

When you're ready to let your iPhone manage its own time again, 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 date and time fields will lock again. Your iPhone will when ready sync with your network and correct the date and time if they were wrong.

Turning automatic updates back on is the safest way to may support your iPhone always shows the correct time. If you've been testing or troubleshooting and your phone's clock is now off, this is the fastest way to fix it. The sync usually happens within a few seconds of turning the toggle on.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistake is forgetting to turn off Set Automatically before trying to change the date or time. If the date and time fields don't respond when you tap them, that's the reason. Go back and toggle off automatic updates first.

Another mistake is changing the date or time and then turning automatic updates back on without realizing it will overwrite your changes. If you need to keep a specific date and time set, leave automatic updates off. However, this means your phone's clock will drift over time and won't correct itself if you travel to a different time zone.

Don't confuse the time zone setting with the date and time themselves. Changing your time zone doesn't change what time it actually is—it only changes how your phone displays that time. If you're traveling and want to see the local time, change the time zone. If you want to set a completely different time for testing purposes, turn off automatic updates and change the time field directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my iPhone keep changing the time back after I set it?

Your Set Automatically toggle is still on. Every time you connect to Wi-Fi or cellular service, your iPhone syncs with the network and overwrites your manual time. Turn off the toggle in Settings > General > Date & Time, make your change, and leave it off if you want the time to stay as you set it.

Can I change the time zone without changing the actual time?

Yes. Tap Time Zone in the Date & Time menu and search for your new location. This changes only the time zone label, not the actual time your phone displays. Keep Set Automatically turned on so your phone stays synced with the network.

What happens if I leave automatic updates off for a long time?

Your iPhone's clock will gradually drift out of sync with the actual time. The longer automatic updates are off, the more inaccurate your phone becomes. Alarms, reminders, and time-stamped messages may be off by minutes or hours. Turn automatic updates back on to correct this.

Does changing the date and time affect my alarms or calendar events?

Yes. If you set your iPhone to a different date or time, alarms and calendar events will trigger based on that new time, not the actual time. This is why manually changing the date and time is mainly useful for testing or troubleshooting, not for everyday use.

How do I set my iPhone to 24-hour time format?

Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and scroll down to find 24-Hour Time. Toggle it on. This changes how the time displays throughout your phone and also changes the hours wheel in the time picker from 1–12 to 0–23.