Clocks go forward: does the time change automatically on your phone? Explained

• Daylight Savings Time is about to begin and the clocks will change.
• The clocks are set to go forward this weekend.
• But will the time change on your phone automatically?

The sun is shining, the daffodils are waking up and spring feels like it truly has sprung. The days have started to get longer, but a spanner is about to be thrown into the works.

Daylight Saving Time is about to begin and we will all lose an hour in bed this weekend. After getting an extra sleep in during the autumn, the clocks are about to go forward on Sunday (March 30).

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You may be wondering if when you wake up that morning and check your phone whether the time will have changed automatically. Here’s all you need to know:

Does the time change on your phone automatically?

Gone are the days when you would have to do a quick bit of addition when you wake up on the day the clocks change. Modern technology is able to adjust automatically, so no need to panic when you finally rise on Sunday (March 30).

If the software on your phone, tablet, TV, computer, or other devices connected to the internet is up-to-date then it should automatically update with the correct time. You may still have to manually adjust the time on your oven or any digital clocks you have.

Turn on this feature before clocks change

No matter if you have an iPhone, Android or Google phone, you will want to make sure that the “set automatically” function for date and time is switched on for your handset before Sunday.

Apple

If you have an iPhone (or iPad for that matter), make sure that you go to the settings on your device. Find the section called General, go to Date & Time and make sure ‘set automatically’ is switched on.

Android

The process is very similar for Android phones - albeit there may be a slight difference depending on the brand that makes your device. But like on Apple, make your way to settings and find Date & Time - for most phones it will likely be in the systems section, but on a Samsung device it may be under general management.

Once you have found Date & Time, check to make sure that automatic feature for setting the time is switched on. It may have a slightly different phrasing that ‘set automatically’ but it will be along those lines.

What do you think of daylight saving time? Share your thoughts by emailing me: [email protected].