The quickest way to change the time on your Samsung phone

Open Settings, tap General management, then Date and time. Turn off the toggle next to Automatic date and time if it is on. Now you can tap Time and use the on-screen picker to set the hour and minute manually. When you are done, tap Set or Done depending on your model.

If you do not see General management, your phone may organize settings differently. Look for Date and time directly in the main Settings menu, or search for "time" using the search bar at the top of Settings.

Key Takeaways

  • You must turn off automatic time first, or your phone will override any manual change within seconds.
  • The path is Settings > General management > Date and time on most Samsung phones, though older models may skip the General management step.
  • Turning off automatic time means your phone will not update when you cross time zones, so turn it back on when you travel.
  • If your phone keeps resetting the time, automatic time is likely still on, or your network is overriding your choice.

Why automatic time is usually on and what it does

By default, Samsung phones receive the correct time from your mobile network or from internet time servers. This is called automatic date and time, and it keeps your phone accurate without you doing anything. The phone updates itself whenever you move to a new time zone or when daylight saving time changes.

This is why changing the time manually does not stick: the phone sees that automatic time is on and when ready corrects itself back to the network time. Turning off the toggle is the first step every time.

Step-by-step: changing the time manually

Start in the main Settings app. Swipe down or scroll to find General management and tap it. If you cannot find it, use the search icon at the top of Settings and type "date and time".

Once you are in the Date and time menu, look for the toggle labeled Automatic date and time or Set time automatically. Tap it to turn it off. The toggle should change color (usually from blue to gray) and the menu below it should now be tappable.

Tap Time. A picker will appear with hour and minute fields. Tap the hour field, use the up and down arrows or the number pad to set the hour, then do the same for minutes. Some phones let you type directly; others use a spinner wheel. When the time is correct, tap Set, Done, or OK.

Go back to the Date and time menu to confirm the change took. If you want automatic time back on (which you should if you travel), tap the toggle again to turn it back on.

What to do if the time keeps changing back

If you set the time manually and it reverts within a few seconds, automatic time is still on. Go back to Settings > General management > Date and time and check the toggle again. It may not have saved the first time.

If the toggle is definitely off but the time still changes, your network may be forcing the time. This is rare but happens on some carrier networks. Restart your phone first—sometimes a restart clears a stuck network setting. If it still happens, contact your carrier to ask whether they are overriding manual time settings.

Changing the time zone separately from the time itself

You can also change your time zone without changing the actual time. In the Date and time menu, look for Time zone or Select time zone. Tap it and scroll through the list to find your zone. This is useful if you have moved to a new time zone but want to keep automatic time on—the phone will then show the correct local time without you having to set it manually.

If you turn off automatic time and set the time manually, the time zone setting usually does not matter, because you have already set the exact time you want. But if you turn automatic time back on later, the time zone becomes important again, because the phone uses it to calculate what the correct local time should be.

When you might need to change the time manually

Most people never need to change the time manually because automatic time works reliably. But there are a few situations where you might:

  • Your phone is not connecting to a network and you need the time to be correct for an appointment or meeting.
  • You are testing an app or feature that depends on a specific time.
  • You are in a location where the network time is wrong or delayed.
  • You are troubleshooting a problem and need to rule out a time-related cause.

In all other cases, leave automatic time on. It is more reliable than manual setting and updates itself when you travel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Samsung phone show the wrong time even though automatic time is on?

Your phone is probably in airplane mode, not connected to a network, or in a location where the network time is incorrect. Check that airplane mode is off and that you have a signal. If the network time is genuinely wrong, turn off automatic time and set it manually, or wait until you are in a location with correct network time.

Does changing the time affect my alarms or reminders?

Yes. If you set the time backward, alarms that were supposed to go off in the next few hours may not go off at all. If you set the time forward, alarms may go off earlier than you expect. After changing the time, check any alarms or reminders you have set for the next few hours and adjust them if needed.

Can I set a different time for different apps?

No. The time on your phone is system-wide—all apps see the same time. If you need one app to show a different time, you would have to change the phone's time, which affects everything. Most apps do not let you override the system time.

What is the difference between time and time zone?

Time is the actual hour and minute (for example, 3:45 PM). Time zone is the region that determines what time it is in your location (for example, Eastern Standard Time). If you change the time zone but not the time, the clock might show a different hour even though the actual moment in time has not changed.

Will changing the time manually drain my battery?

No. Changing the time has no effect on battery life. However, turning off automatic time means your phone is not syncing with the network time, which uses very little power anyway, so the battery impact is negligible either way.