AndroidAnswers

Why is the time wrong on my Android phone?

By the AndroidAnswers Editorial Team · Updated

About 4 minutes · Basics & setup

Steps written for Android 16 and 17, including Samsung One UI 8 and 9, Google Pixel, and Motorola. Menu names can vary a little by model and carrier.

Illustration of a phone showing a clock face, with a location pin on one side and circular refresh arrows on the other

The phone usually gets the time from your mobile network or the internet. If it is wrong, automatic time or the time zone has been turned off or picked up a bad setting. Open Settings, search for Date and time, and turn on automatic date and time and automatic time zone. Then restart the phone.

Steps to check

Show steps for:

  1. Turn on automatic date and time

    This is the fix for most wrong clocks. With it on, the phone sets itself from your mobile network or an internet time server, and changes for Daylight Saving Time on its own. Open Settings, find Date and time, and turn on the automatic option. Google's Clock app has a shortcut too: open Clock, tap More (three dots) → Settings → Change date and time.

    • Samsung Settings → General management → Date and time → turn on Automatic date and time.
    • Pixel Clock → More → Settings → Change date and time → turn on Automatic date and time. The same menu is in Settings → System → Date & time.
    • Motorola Settings → System → Date & time → turn on Set time automatically.

  2. Turn on automatic time zone

    If the minutes are right but the hour is off, the time zone is usually the problem. This often happens after travel, or near a time zone border where the phone picks up a tower from the next zone. In the same Date and time menu, turn on the automatic time zone option. Some phones can set the time zone from your location, which can be more accurate near a border.

    • Samsung Date and time → turn on Automatic time zone. Samsung also offers Set time zone based on location on some models.
    • Pixel In the same Change date and time menu, under Time zone, turn on Automatic time zone. Google notes the phone may use your location to set it.
    • Motorola Date & time → turn on Use network-provided time zone.

  3. Restart the phone

    Hold the power button (or the power and volume down buttons) and tap Restart. When it starts again with a signal or Wi-Fi, it should pull the correct time. Samsung notes the time can be off for a while during a carrier problem, when traveling, or when the phone has no signal, and corrects itself once the connection is back.

  4. Still wrong? Set it by hand for now

    If automatic time stays wrong, you can set the clock yourself. Turn the automatic option off, and the Set date, Set time, and Time zone options appear. Pick your own time zone, not just a time, so the phone still follows Daylight Saving Time. Samsung suggests switching automatic back on later, once the network problem has passed.

    • Samsung Date and time → turn off Automatic date and time → tap Set date and Set time. Turn off Automatic time zone → Select time zone.
    • Motorola Date & time → turn off Set time automatically → tap Date and Time. Turn off Use network-provided time zone → tap Time zone.

  5. Check alarms and calendar events afterward

    Once the clock is right, open the Clock app and check your alarms still show the correct time and AM or PM. If calendar events look shifted by an hour, Samsung Calendar has a Lock time zone setting. When it is on, events stay in the zone you chose even if the phone's zone changes, so check it matches where you live. If an alarm still does not ring, see why an alarm may not go off.

Normal vs. not

Usually normal

The clock jumps an hour right after you land somewhere new or when Daylight Saving Time starts or ends. That is automatic time zone doing its job.

Worth a closer look

The time keeps drifting or jumps to the wrong zone at home, even with automatic time and time zone on. Set it by hand for now, make sure the phone software is up to date, and ask your carrier if there is a network problem in your area.

Common questions

Why do websites say "Your clock is behind" or "Your clock is ahead"?
Google Chrome shows these messages, and the error NET::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID, when the phone's date and time are wrong. Secure websites check the date, so a wrong clock makes them refuse to load. Fix the time and the pages open again.
Why is my phone exactly one hour off?
Usually the time zone is set by hand to a zone that does not follow Daylight Saving Time the way yours does, or the phone picked up a tower in the next zone. Turn on automatic time zone, or pick your own city's zone by hand.
Can a wrong time cause other problems?
Yes. Samsung notes that many apps and websites will not work properly, and may show security warnings, if the date and time are wrong. Alarms and reminders can also ring at the wrong moment.
Can I show the time in 24-hour format?
Yes. In the same Date and time menu, turn on Use 24-hour format. Turn it off to go back to AM and PM.

Sources we checked

Menu names can differ by phone brand and Android version. See our editorial policy for how we check steps.