How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?

You can use Date & Time settings to enable your device to adjust the date and time automatically following time zone and daylight saving time changes. If the wrong date, time or time zone appears on your device, or if it doesn't automatically adjust for daylight saving time, find out what to do.

Set the date and time automatically

The option to set the date and time automatically may not be available for your device. Follow these steps to make sure your device is able to set the time and time zone automatically.

On your iPhone or iPad

  1. Make sure you have the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
  2. Turn on Set Automatically in Settings > General > Date & Time. This automatically sets your date and time based on your time zone. Is this setting dimmed?
  3. If a message appears saying that updated time zone information is available, restart your device and any paired Apple Watch devices.
  4. Allow your device to use its current location to determine the correct time zone. To do this, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services and turn on Setting Time Zone.
  5. Check that your device is using the correct time zone in Settings > General > Date & Time > Time Zone.

On your Mac

  1. Make sure your Mac is connected to the internet.
  2. Open Location Services settings and make sure Location Services is turned on. Then scroll to the bottom of the list of apps and services and click the Details button next to System Services. Make sure "Time zone and system customisation" is turned on.
  3. Open Date & Time settings and make sure the option to set time and date automatically, as well as the option to set time zone automatically, are turned on.
  4. Restart your Mac.

On your Apple TV

These steps require tvOS 10 or later on Apple TV HD or Apple TV 4K. If you're using an older version of tvOS or an older Apple TV, you can set the time zone manually.

    1. Make sure your Apple TV is connected to the internet.
    2. Go to Settings > General > Time Zone. If a message appears saying that updated time zone information is available, restart your Apple TV to get the update.
    3. If a message doesn't appear, press and hold the Back button 
      How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?
       or the Menu button on your Apple TV remote to go to the Home Screen. Wait several minutes, then return to Settings > General > Time Zone. If the message appears now, restart your Apple TV to get the update. 

    How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?

    Set the date and time manually

    If your device is still displaying an incorrect date, time or time zone, change each setting manually instead of using Set Automatically. For example, you may have iOS 9 or earlier, and your country or region or government has subsequently changed the time zone or the observance of daylight saving time.

    On your iPhone or iPad

    1. Go to Settings > General > Date & Time.
    2. Turn off Set Automatically. Is this setting dimmed?
    3. Change the time zone or the date and time:
      • Tap Time Zone and enter a city with the time zone you need.
      • Or tap the date to change the date and time.

    On your Mac

    Open Date & Time settings and turn off the option to set time and date automatically, as well as the option to set time zone automatically. You can then set time, date and time zone manually.

    On your Apple TV

    1. Go to Settings > General > Time Zone.
    2. Make sure Set Automatically is turned off, then choose a time zone.

    How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?

    Find out more about time settings

    • The option to turn Set Automatically on or off may not be available with all service providers or in all countries and regions. If the device has a Screen Time passcode or a corporate profile with device restrictions installed, then the option to turn Set Automatically on or off will be dimmed or greyed out.
    • If the time on your device is wrong after you've synced it with your computer, make sure Date & Time are set correctly on your Mac.
    • Manual adjustments to time settings to change app behaviour (such as game timers) aren't recommended.

    Published Date: December 16, 2022

    You are here: Home / iPhone / Why is ‘Set Automatically’ grayed out in iPhone Date & Time settings?

    Can’t change the time on your iPhone? Some users are finding the ‘Set Automatically’ option for their iPhone’s Date & Time is grayed out and, therefore, inaccessible. This happens for a number of reasons, which we’ll discuss below.

    Typically an iOS device uses its location to automatically set the clock to the appropriate time zone. However, there are plenty of reasons you might not want it to do so: changing the time zone to a few hours early, making your clock fast to avoid being late, or maintaining a constant time on your device regardless of location.

    Whatever the reason, you need to be able to turn off the Set Automatically option in your Date & Time settings. And, if it’s grayed out or can’t be turned off, try out the troubleshooting tips in this post to fix it.

    How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?
    There are a number of reasons the Set Automatically button might not work.

    Related:

    • There’s a widespread time zone bug in iOS 11 & iOS 12 — Here’s what you need to know
    • iPhone 5’s time and date not working properly, showing wrong time
    • iPhone Searching or No Service, how-to fix

    Contents

    • How do you change the time in iOS?
    • Check Screen Time’s share setting
      • Turn off Screen Time’s share across devices feature
    • Turn off your Screen Time passcode
      • How to turn off the Screen Time passcode:
      • Or turn off Screen Time altogther
    • Change your Location Services.
      • How to turn off the automatic time zone locations in iOS:
    • Check your carrier settings.
      • How to update carrier settings on iOS:
    • Restart or restore your iPhone.

    How do you change the time in iOS?

    You should be able to change the date and time on your device by going to Settings > General > Date & Time.

    How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?
    With Set Automatically turned off you can manually choose the date and time.

    Ideally, you’d be able to turn off the Set Automatically button and manually input your preferred date and time. Of course, if you were able to turn off the button you wouldn’t be reading this post in the first place. 

    Make sure you return to this page in your iPhone settings after each troubleshooting step below to find out if you’ve fixed the problem.

    When you share screen time information across device, iOS and iPadOS lock your device’s Date & Time settings so you get accurate reporting of your time on all your device’s screen.

    When you turn on Share Across Devices in Screen Time that this grays out the Set Automatically option for your device’s Date & Time.

    So try turning this off, and see if you can now adjust your date and time settings.

    1. Go to Settings > Screen Time
    2. Scroll down to Share Across Devices and toggle it off
      How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?
    3. Go to Settings > General > Date & Time
    4. Confirm you can toggle Set Automatically on or off and that it’s not grayed out

    Turning Screen Time off also accomplishes this task.

    Turn off your Screen Time passcode

    Screen Time was introduced in iOS 12 and allows you to restrict app usage based on certain times of the day. It’s great not just for personal productivity, but also to control the technology use of children.

    If Screen Time has been turned on with a passcode — recommended if kids are about — then it’ll block you from being able to turn off the automatic date and time setting. This stops clever miscreants from simply changing the time whenever they want to bypass the Screen Time restrictions.

    You can remedy it by turning off your Screen Time passcode, making any date and time changes you want, then turning the passcode back on again.

    How to turn off the Screen Time passcode:

    1. Go to Settings > Screen Time
    2. Tap Change Screen Time Passcode
    3. Then tap Turn Off Screen Time Passcode
    4. Enter your Screen Time Passcode
    How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?
    Screen Time could be stopping you from changing the date and time.

    Or turn off Screen Time altogther

    Another option is to temporarily turn off Screen Time and see if you can now toggle Set Automatically on or off.

    How to turn off the Screen Time

    1. Go to Settings > Screen Time
    2. Scroll down and tap Turn off Screen Time
      How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?
    3. Enter your Screen Time passcode
    4. Check Settings > General > Date & Time and see if you can now toggle Set Automatically 

    Change your Location Services.

    Your iPhone uses its location to find the right time zone. The first thing to do is turn this feature off in Location Services to see if that lets you manually change the time.

    How to turn off the automatic time zone locations in iOS:

    1. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services
    2. Scroll to System Services
    3. Turn off the Setting Time Zone button
    How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?
    With the Setting Time Zone button turned off you may be able to manually change the time.

    Be sure to turn the Setting Time Zone button back on if you want your iPhone to be able to automatically set the date and time in the future.

    Check your carrier settings.

    Some mobile carriers don’t allow you to turn off the automatic date and time settings on your device. You’ll first want to update your carrier settings and then contact your carrier directly to find out.

    How to update carrier settings on iOS:

    1. Go to Settings > General > About
    2. Wait 30 seconds, allowing your device to check for an update
    3. That’s it! If nothing happens you’re already up-to-date
    How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?
    A pop-up will appear if you need a Carrier Settings Update.

    If a carrier settings update doesn’t help matters you could call your carrier directly. They’ll be able to tell you if their policy allows you to manually set the date and time.

    Restart or restore your iPhone.

    How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?
    Restart your iPhone to fix many software issues.

    If you’ve gotten this far with no other solution it’s likely that a software error is causing the problem. 

    Perform a simple restart on your device by holding the power button until you’re prompted to slide across the screen to power off. Wait 10 seconds before powering on again.

    Once the iPhone has restarted return to the settings to see if ‘Set Automatically’ is grayed out still. If so, it’s time for a restore.

    A restore will return your device to factory settings, so you’ll want to make a backup on iCloud or iTunes first. Once you’ve done that, restore your device using the instructions below and then recover all your data from the backup.

    How to factory reset an iPhone:

    1. Go to Settings > General > Reset
    2. Choose to Erase All Content and Settings
    3. Enter your Apple ID and passcode when prompted
    How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?
    Restore your iPhone to factory settings so that you can choose a new time zone.

    It’s about time we got all that sorted. If you found the help you need, please let us know in the comments below. 

    How do I turn off set automatically to Date and time in settings?

    Dan writes tutorials and troubleshooting guides to help people make the most of their technology. Before becoming a writer, he earned a BSc in Sound Technology, supervised repairs at an Apple Store, and even taught English in China.

    Why can't I turn off set automatically Date and Time on iPhone?

    The option to turn Set Automatically on or off might not be available with all carriers or in all countries and regions. If the device has a Screen Time passcode or a corporate profile with device restrictions installed, then the option to turn Set Automatically on or off will be dimmed, or grayed out.

    How do I turn off auto set for Date and Time in settings?

    Tap Settings to open the Settings menu. Tap Date & Time. Tap Automatic. If this option is turned off, check that the correct Date, Time and Time Zone are selected.

    How do I change the Time on my iPhone when it is automatically set?

    Change the date and time on iPhone.
    Go to Settings > General > Date & Time..
    Turn on any of the following: Set Automatically: iPhone gets the correct time over the network and updates it for the time zone you're in..