How to fix Android time zones amid Canadian daylight saving changes

When Daylight Saving Time ends next month, parts of Canada will not roll back their clocks because seasonal clock adjustments are becoming permanent across portions of the country. Manitoba announced its shift in September, and other jurisdictions, including Alberta and British Columbia, are likewise moving away from altering their clocks twice a year. Because individual provinces and territories are making independent decisions about which standard time to maintain, regional timekeeping will vary.

In a recent post, Google subtly acknowledged that these localized shifts could create complications for Android time zones. Time is typically set automatically on Android, and Google expects that automatic mechanism to handle the transition for most users without issue. If a phone displays an incorrect time on November 1 once the changes take effect, Google recommends that owners “apply any pending updates from your phone’s manufacturer and Google, and then restart your device”.

If problems persist after updating and rebooting, users can resolve the discrepancy directly within system settings. Android provides options to detect the local offset through device location or to set the appropriate Canadian zone by hand.

Adjusting Android time zone settings

To turn on location-based detection for an incorrect time or time zone:

• Open Settings.
• Search for Date and Time.
• Enable “Automatic time zone”.
• Enable “Use location for time zone”.

If location detection does not resolve the issue, users can configure the time zone manually:

• Disable “Automatic time zone”.
• Choose “Time Zone”.
• Choose “Region”.
• Choose “Canada”.
• Choose a time zone with the right offset.