Ah, daylight saving time: The controversial days, affectionately known as “Spring Forward” or “Fall Back,” when we all lose or gain an hour under the shadow of darkness. In 2022, daylight saving time in the United States will begin on Sunday, March 13 and end on Sunday, November 6. On the former date, the time across the country will skip straight from 1:59 a.m. to 3 a.m. (except in Hawaii and Arizona, which don't make the adjustment). No big deal — except that most of the country is fast asleep at that time, which means we’ll need to remember to adjust any analog clocks we have lying around, as well as those on our microwaves, ovens, and potentially even cars. But for those of us who rely on our phones to do our timekeeping, the real question is: Do iPhones automatically change for daylight savings?
If you’re an iPhone user who has the latest iOS installed (currently, that would be iOS 15.2) and the date and time set to adjust automatically, you should be in the clear. If you want to double check that your iPhone does, indeed, automatically change for daylight savings, you can do so easily in a matter of minutes. Head to your phone’s Settings, then General, then Date & Time. The Set Automatically toggle should be switched on (so, you should see a green color).
If your phone isn’t linking up with the right time zone, you can adjust that, too. In that case, go to Settings, then Privacy, then Location Services, then System Services (you may have to scroll down quite a bit if you have a lot of apps with location services settings). Within System Services, toggle on Setting Time Zone, and you should be good to go.
Read more: What Is Daylight Saving Time? The History Behind Why We Set Our Clocks Forward and Back
Okay, so we know the deal with iPhones, but do Android phones automatically change for daylight savings? Most likely, yes. For Android users, as long as the automatic network time and time zone settings are on, your phone should adjust to daylight saving time on its own, according to Android Central. If you want to check to be sure, the process may vary slightly depending on the specific phone you have. But, per Android Central, if you have a Pixel or stock Android device, go to your Settings, then System, then Date & time, then toggle on both Use network-provided time setting and Use network-provided time zone setting. If you’re using a Samsung Galaxy phone, after you open Settings, go to General management, then Date and time, then toggle on Automatic date and time.
Still, those who are totally dependent on their cell phones should be aware: in the past few years, some iPhones have notoriously failed to automatically adjust for daylight saving in some parts of the world, the Telegraph reported.
After that, you just have to worry about adjusting your mind and body to the time change. Fun!
