Time Wrong After the Time Change? Fix Your iPhone, Mac, Android or Windows Clock (2026)

The short version. If your clock is wrong after the time change, it’s almost always one of two things:

Your device has old time zone rules. It still thinks BC, Alberta, Manitoba or the NWT “falls back” on Nov 1. The fix is a software update and a restart.
Your device thinks you’re somewhere else. Automatic or location-based time zone is off, so it’s on Los Angeles, Denver or Chicago time instead of yours. The fix is one setting.

Not sure which? The clock check below reads your device’s settings and tells you in a second.

Clock check

Checking your device…

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Step-by-step guides for each device

iPhoneUpdate iOS, turn on location-based time zone AndroidUpdate Android and Google Play, fix automatic time zone MacUpdate macOS, set time zone from your location WindowsInstall the October 2026 update, pick the new time zone

What time should your clock say?

If you’re in	From Nov 1, 2026	Changes in March?
Most of BC	UTC−7 (same as summer)	No
Alberta, the NWT, BC’s East Kootenay	UTC−6 (same as summer)	No
Manitoba, northwestern Ontario (Kenora)	UTC−5 (same as summer)	No
Saskatchewan, Yukon	No change	No
Rest of Canada, most of the US	Back 1 hour at 2 AM	Yes, March 14, 2027

So if you’re in Vancouver, Calgary or Winnipeg and your clock went back an hour on Nov 1, it’s wrong. If you’re in Toronto or Seattle and it went back, it’s right. All the dates are on the daylight saving time page.

Why your clock gets it wrong

Phones and computers don’t look up the time zone rules online every day. Each one carries its own copy of the world’s time zone rules and only learns about changes when that copy is updated. BC, Alberta, Manitoba and the NWT changed their rules this year, so devices need an update to know they don’t fall back.

The second trap is location. With automatic time zone off, a device keeps whatever time zone it last had, or guesses from the mobile network. After a trip, or near a border like Creston, Lloydminster or Kenora, it often guesses wrong. From November to March that’s now an hour out, because BC and Seattle, Alberta and Montana, and Manitoba and Minnesota no longer match.

Common symptoms

What you see	Likely cause	Fix
Clock went back an hour on Nov 1 in BC, Alberta or Manitoba	Old time zone rules	Update the software and restart
Time zone shows Los Angeles, Denver or Chicago	Automatic or location-based time zone is off	Turn it on (steps below)
iPhone in BC flips to Edmonton time	A known iOS issue from spring 2026	Update iOS, restart, turn on Setting Time Zone
Windows doesn’t list your province	Update not installed yet	Install the October 2026 Windows update
Clock is right, meetings are an hour off	The calendar, not the clock	Fix the meetings

iPhone time wrong? Apple’s fix

From Apple’s support article on fixing the time or time zone:

Connect to the internet and install the latest iOS: Settings › General › Software Update.
Go to Settings › General › Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically.
If you see Updated Time Zone Information Available, restart your iPhone, and your Apple Watch if you have one.
Go to Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › System Services and turn on Setting Time Zone.
Still wrong? Turn off Set Automatically, tap Time Zone and type your city.

If Set Automatically is greyed out, a Screen Time passcode or a work profile is blocking it. Apple also sent Canadian devices an over-the-air time zone update in late May 2026, which shows up as that “Updated Time Zone Information Available” message. Full iPhone guide.

Mac time wrong? Apple’s fix

Install the latest macOS: System Settings › General › Software Update.
In System Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services, turn Location Services on, click Details next to System Services and turn on Setting time zone.
In System Settings › General › Date & Time, turn on setting the time and date automatically and setting the time zone automatically.
Restart your Mac.

If the Mac’s clock is right but Outlook for Mac shows meetings an hour late, that’s Outlook, not macOS. Full Mac guide.

Android clock wrong? Google’s fix

From Google’s Pixel help article on setting the time, date and time zone. Other Android phones use similar wording in different places.

Install system updates, and the separate Google Play system update. Search Settings for it, as its location varies by phone.
Open the Clock app, tap More › Settings › Change date & time, or go to Settings › System › Date & time.
Under Time zone, turn on Automatic time zone (some phones call it Set time zone automatically).
Turn on Use location if your phone has it. Without it, the phone guesses from the mobile network.

On Samsung, it’s Settings › General management › Date and time. Full Android guide.

Windows clock wrong? Microsoft’s fix

Microsoft added three new time zones for this change: (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia), (UTC-06:00) Mountain Time (Alberta) and (UTC-05:00) Manitoba. BC and Alberta came to Windows 11 in the September 22, 2026 preview update. Every supported version, plus Manitoba, got them in the October 13, 2026 security update.

Go to Settings › Windows Update, install everything and restart.
Go to Start › Settings › Time & language › Date & time.
Turn on Set time zone automatically, or turn it off and pick the new zone for your province from the Time zone list.
Leave Adjust for daylight saving time automatically on. Turning it off hides the problem until March.

Microsoft says devices set to pick their time zone automatically will move to the new zone on their own, and others need it chosen by hand. Full Windows guide.

Still wrong?

Restart. Time zone rule changes often don’t take effect until you do.
Check the city. Your time zone should show a city in your own province: Vancouver, Edmonton or Calgary, or Winnipeg.
Ask your IT team before changing a work device by hand. Some workplaces manage the time zone centrally.
Last resort for devices that can’t update: pick a city already on the right time all year. That’s Phoenix for BC, Regina for Alberta and the NWT, and Bogotá for Manitoba. Switch back as soon as an update arrives.

Questions

Why is my iPhone an hour behind after the time change?

If you’re in BC, Alberta, Manitoba or the NWT, your iPhone probably has old time zone rules or the wrong time zone. Install the latest iOS, turn on Set Automatically under Settings › General › Date & Time, turn on Setting Time Zone under Location Services › System Services, and restart. If you’re in Ontario, Quebec or the US, falling back an hour on Nov 1 is correct.

Why does my iPhone keep switching to Edmonton time in BC?

Some BC iPhones on iOS 26.4.2 jumped to Edmonton time and back. Apple sent an over-the-air time zone update to Canadian devices in late May 2026 that was meant to fix it, though some people still report it. Install the latest iOS, restart when you see “Updated Time Zone Information Available”, and make sure Setting Time Zone is on.

Will my phone change the time automatically on Nov 1?

Yes, if it’s up to date and set to automatic. In BC, Alberta, Manitoba and the NWT it should stay put. Everywhere else in Canada and the US it should go back an hour at 2 AM.

Should I turn off “Adjust for daylight saving time automatically” on Windows?

No. Install the update and pick the new time zone instead. Turning that switch off hides the problem now and breaks your clock again in March.

My computer is right but my meetings are an hour off. Why?

That’s a calendar problem, not a clock problem. Meetings saved in the old time zone need the organizer to update them. See fixing Outlook and Google Calendar meetings after Nov 1.

My phone is too old to update. What now?

As a stopgap, set the time zone by hand to a city that’s already on the right time all year: Phoenix for BC, Regina for Alberta and the NWT, Bogotá for Manitoba. Switch back once you can update.

Sources

Something out of date? Email [email protected] and we’ll fix it. See our corrections log.