Are you struggling because your device shows the wrong date and time? The issue can be caused by bugs or misconfigured date and time settings. Disabling and then re-enabling the automatic date and time feature should help. If not, you can force restart, or update your operating system.
I’ve faced the problem a couple of times. There are many fixes, however, and I’ve been able to get rid of it with the tricks discussed below.
How Do You Fix Wrong Automatic Time and Date on Android Phones?
There are a number of ways to fix the incorrect time, and they include:
Solution 1: Enable/Disable Automatic Date and Time Zone
Did you meddle with your phone’s settings recently? You might have changed your date and time settings accidentally.
Here’s how you fix this:
- Go to the Settings menu
- Tap Date and Time option
- Tap Automatic Home Clock button
At the same time, try disabling Automatic time zone. Your device may think you’re in the wrong time zone.
Follow the steps for the above troubleshooting tip. Instead of toggling the feature on, toggle it off.
Solution 2: Force Restart the Phone
If you’re dealing with a minor software problem, force-restarting will help. In case you’re wondering, this is similar to regular rebooting but a bit more comprehensive.
The force restart process differs depending on your Android device.
Here’s what you do if you own a Samsung phone:
- Keep pressing and holding the Volume Down and Power buttons. Then release them when you see the startup screen
Google Pixel:
- Press and hold the Power key until your mobile restarts
LG:
- Press and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons. Release them when you see the startup screen
HTC:
- Press and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons, and release them when your device restarts
Solution 3: Update Operating System
When was the last time you updated your operating system? It might have bugged out if it’s been a while. Downloading the latest firmware will help.
Here’s what Android users can do:
- Open the Settings app
- Tap System
- Click on About Android Phone
- Tap on the firmware package
Restart the device afterwards. Your phone’s clock app should be good to go now.
Solution 4: Delete Your Android Apps
Did you recently download any third-party apps? They may be malicious and could be causing the wrong date and time issue. You can check this by entering Safe Mode. Essentially, your phone would run in its default state. If the hiccup doesn’t appear, it’s safe to say that you’re dealing with malware.
Here’s how you enter Safe Mode:
- Keep holding the Power button while your device is still on
- Tap the Power icon from the menu you see
- Press and hold the Power off button until you see the safe mode prompt
- Select the Safe-Mode prompt to confirm
Remember to wait a while until the issue pops up.
Once you’ve figured that the problem is due to an application that you’ve installed, delete all your recent apps.
Here’s how you do this:
- Go to the home screen
- Find the application that you want to delete
- Long-hold it
- Press the uninstall button
- Tap Delete to confirm
Solution 5: Factory Reset
Lastly, a factory reset can help. Your entire system would be wiped to clear whatever is causing the problem. Just remember that all your personal data will be erased. Backup your files before proceeding.
Here’s how you backup your data:
- Launch Settings
- Click on the Google option, then Backup Now
Here’s how you factory reset once you’ve saved your data:
- Open Settings
- Tap General Management & Backup and Reset
- Select the Factory Data Reset button
- Choose the Reset Device button
- Tap Clear Device All to confirm
Prepare to spend a couple of minutes setting up your device. Hopefully you will have the correct date and time now. If not, let’s move onto our other solutions.
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Final Thoughts
There are several reasons why you could face this error. Most of the time, it appears because you’ve accidentally disabled the automatic time and date feature. You might have been meddling with your device when this happened.
However, your smartphone computer clock could be wrong because of isolated bugs and glitches as well. Force-restarting your Android mobile, or updating it to the latest firmware can fix automatic time zone issue.
The tricks and tips to get the correct time will work on all smartphones, no matter their model or age. Hopefully, you found them useful.
