The fastest way to change your iPhone's time

Open Settings, tap General, then Date & Time. Toggle off Set Automatically if it is on. Tap the time display, and use the wheels to set the hour, minute, and AM or PM. Tap Done when you finish. The whole process takes about 30 seconds.

If Set Automatically is already off, you can skip straight to tapping the time and adjusting it. Your iPhone will keep the new time even after you restart it, unless you turn Set Automatically back on — which will override your manual setting and sync to your carrier's network time.

Key Takeaways

  • Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and turn off Set Automatically to change the time manually.
  • Tap the time display to open the adjustment wheels and set your preferred hour, minute, and AM or PM.
  • Turning Set Automatically back on will override your manual time and reset it to match your network.
  • If you change your time zone, the hour will adjust automatically unless you have Set Automatically turned off.

When Set Automatically is already on

By default, Set Automatically is turned on. This means your iPhone pulls the correct time from your cellular network or Wi-Fi connection. You will not see an editable time field while this setting is active — the time display will be grayed out.

To unlock the time for manual changes, toggle Set Automatically off. The switch will turn white or gray depending on your iPhone model. Once it is off, the time field becomes tappable and you can adjust it to whatever you need.

Adjusting the time with the wheels

After you tap the time display, your iPhone shows three spinning wheels: one for hours, one for minutes, and one for AM or PM. Scroll each wheel up or down with your finger to land on the number you want. The wheels work like a slot machine — flick quickly to move several numbers at once, or tap and drag slowly to land on an exact value.

The hour wheel runs from 1 to 12 in 12-hour mode, or 0 to 23 in 24-hour mode. Your iPhone uses whichever format you set in Settings > General > Date & Time under the 24-Hour Time toggle. The minute wheel moves in one-minute increments. Once all three wheels show what you want, tap Done to save.

Why your time keeps resetting

If you set the time manually and it changes back on its own, Set Automatically is likely turned back on. Check Settings > General > Date & Time and confirm the toggle is off. Some iPhone updates or settings changes can re-enable it without warning.

Another reason is a time zone change. If you travel and your iPhone detects a new time zone, it will adjust the hour automatically — even with Set Automatically off — because the time zone setting is separate from the manual time setting. To prevent this, turn off Set Time Zone Automatically in the same menu.

Changing your time zone separately

Your time zone and your clock time are two different settings. You can change the time zone without touching the clock, or vice versa. In Settings > General > Date & Time, you will see Time Zone listed below the time itself. Tap it to see a list of cities and regions.

Type the name of a city in your desired time zone — for example, "Denver" for Mountain Time or "London" for GMT — and tap it from the results. Your iPhone will update the time zone label but will not change the hour unless Set Time Zone Automatically is on. This is useful if you want to keep your clock on one time while traveling, or if you need to reference a different time zone without changing your device's primary setting.

What happens when you restart your iPhone

A manual time change will survive a restart. Your iPhone stores the time you set in its internal clock, and that setting persists even after a full power-down and power-up. The only thing that will override it is turning Set Automatically back on, which syncs to the network time and erases your manual adjustment.

If you are troubleshooting a time problem and you restart your iPhone, make sure Set Automatically is still off when the device comes back up. If it has turned back on for any reason, your manual time will be lost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my time field grayed out and I cannot tap it?

Set Automatically is on. Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and toggle it off. Once it is off, the time field will turn black and become tappable.

Can I set the time to something that does not exist, like 25:00?

No. The hour wheel stops at 12 (in 12-hour mode) or 23 (in 24-hour mode), and the minute wheel stops at 59. You cannot scroll past these limits.

Does changing the time affect my alarms or reminders?

Yes. If you set an alarm for 7:00 AM and then change your clock to 8:00 AM, the alarm will go off one hour earlier than it did before, because the alarm is tied to the clock time, not to a fixed moment. Adjust your alarms after you change the time if you need them to ring at a specific moment.

What if I want to keep my iPhone on a different time than the real time?

You can. Turn off Set Automatically and set the time to whatever you want. Your iPhone will keep that time as long as the setting stays off. However, this will cause confusion with notifications, messages, and any app that relies on the correct time.

Can I change the time on my iPhone without going into Settings?

No. The only way to change the time is through Settings > General > Date & Time. You cannot adjust it from the lock screen, Control Center, or any other shortcut.