Setting the date and time in the operating room Android system- a simple thing, but in some cases the user may have difficulties with it. They can be associated both with ignorance of certain things, and with failures of the operating system itself.

How to Set Date and Time on Android

The correct date and time not only help the user to be more punctual - few people would want to miss the bus because the time was set incorrectly - they are also important for the operation of some applications, which, if the data is incorrect, can begin to crash and work with errors. Therefore, it is strictly recommended to set the correct date and time on the device.

The process of setting the date and time in different Android versions is approximately the same: except that in new devices the system asks you to configure the data immediately, even before you start using the applications. In addition, the names of menu items responsible for time and date may differ slightly from each other depending on the different versions OS.

After these simple manipulations, the date and time should change.

Video: setting time and date

If problems arise

It happens that when setting the date and time, errors occur: changes are not applied, the newly set time and date are reset, or even thrown out of “Settings” with an error. There can be many reasons, but the most common ones are:

you have auto-time synchronization enabled, and therefore attempts to manually change will lead to nothing. To disable auto-sync, you need to uncheck “Use network date and time” in the date and time settings;
the problem is associated with a single system failure and should stop after a factory reset or reboot;
defective device firmware - in this case, if you are not an experienced user, it would be best to contact a technician at a service center, since if you try to reflash the device yourself, there is a high risk of damaging it;
there was a conflict between the time zones of the phone and the SIM card (most often this happens with the Tele2 operator).

To fix the problem with time zone and SIM card conflict, follow these steps:

Auto date and time synchronization

If you don't want to set the time and date manually, you can use Android's built-in feature to automatically synchronize time with the network. Or, if maximum accuracy is important, its improved version, the implementation of which will require root rights.

Normal auto-sync

To synchronize the date and time with network data, you need to tick just one item located in the “Date and Time” settings menu. It is usually called “Use network date and time”, but the options “Automatic date and time”, “Synchronize with network” and other similar options are also possible.

After checking the box next to this item, the date and time on the phone or tablet are synchronized with the network data and will henceforth be determined automatically. While this feature is enabled, you cannot manually set the date and time.

When the “Use network date and time” checkbox is checked, the system itself checks the date and time with the network

"Smart" synchronization

Standard synchronization is not very accurate and works with an error of an average of 500 milliseconds (that's about half a second). This is due to the fact that when it was created, old and rather slow data transfer protocols were used. As a result, information about the current time simply does not have time to arrive on time and is slightly delayed. This leads to an error that is corrected by numerous applications for “advanced” time synchronization.

To work properly, applications need to interfere with Android settings, but by default they do not have this right. Therefore, in order to carry out smart synchronization, you need to have superuser rights, or root rights, on your device. However, those applications that are the most advanced, with a sin in half, but do without them.

The algorithm for obtaining root access is unique for each phone model, which at the moment hundreds. Doesn't exist general method, which would allow you to gain superuser rights on any device: even the most popular applications for “hacking” root rights operate with a limited set of models, and whether a particular application is suitable for you is unknown. To get root access to specific device you need to read the technical documentation on rooting it on a specialized resource.

There are several smart sync apps, and they are all similar to each other. Let's look at working with them using the ClockSync application as an example.

ClockSync can be downloaded from the official page at Google Play. However, this application is one of the most resource-intensive and multifunctional: for example, it allows you to change the server with which the time is checked. If you are not such an advanced user, then you can use some simpler analogue: for example, Smart Time Sync.

Setting the time zone

You can change the time zone defined on the device in the same settings item, “Date and time”. The “Time Zone” line allows you to change the default zone.

The time zone, just like the date and time, has an auto-synchronization option. You can turn it on if you're unsure about your own time zones, but this setting can sometimes glitch in older versions of Android, so it's recommended to set it manually there.

To synchronize the time zone with the network, you need to enable the "Use network time zone" option

You can find out which time zone is used in your region using the media at your place of residence, including the Internet. The Moscow belt is GMT+3; in St. Petersburg and central Russia it is also mainly used. In general, time zones from +3 to +12 are used in Russia.

To select a time zone, you need to click on the “Time Zone” button and select from a huge list the one that is used in your region. After this, the time will be set in accordance with the selected zone.

To select a time zone, simply find the one you need in the list and click on it

Time zone gets confused

The time zone can go wrong in several cases: either auto-synchronization is not working correctly (in this case, you need to enable manual zone selection), or the wrong region is set in the settings of your phone or tablet.

In addition, the cause of the failure may be an error in the databases. In this case, only one of the applications for “smart” synchronization, which has already been mentioned, will help; the servers they use usually detect the time zone without errors. However, root access is required to use such applications. In the settings of such applications there is an “Auto-sync” item, which can only be enabled with root. If automatic time zone synchronization is enabled, the application will also determine the time zone automatically - and do so more accurately than the system menu.

In the main settings menu of ClockSync and similar applications there is a button “Auto-sync time zone”

Video: “fixing” the time zone through the application

Setting the time and date on Android is simple - if the phone does not require maximum correctness of the result. If you want your watch to be extremely accurate, you will have to try. In any case, correctly determining the time is a valuable feature of the phone, which is extremely important for its normal operation.

You usually find out that the clock on your mobile phone is behind when you are late for something, for example, for a train. In the 21st century, it is unacceptable for your watch to be fast or slow by more than a minute.

And if there are no complaints about wristwatches, then smartphones are simply obliged to show the exact time. But as practice shows, this is not always the case. The clocks on the phones are just as “fragile” as the old clocks at my grandmother’s in the village.

How is the accuracy of electronic watches determined?

First of all, the tuning accuracy and stability of the quartz oscillator (resonator). The frequency accuracy and stability of the latter is usually 10 -6. Ideally, at this value, the clock advances a little more than 30 seconds per year.

In practice, stability is slightly worse, since the resonator frequency is affected by environmental parameters (temperature, pressure) and the generator supply voltage. The generator also includes other elements, for example capacitors, the parameters of which are more dependent on external influences. As a result, the clock can run up to 30 seconds per month.

Improving watch accuracy

In professional devices, for example in transceiver equipment satellite television, the stability of generators is much higher and can reach values of 10 -12.

Therefore, a natural way to take the carrier frequency of an external signal source as a standard arises. And use it as a reference for our generator. There are two possible ways: hardware and software.

In the first case, the clock generator frequency is adjusted to the carrier frequency of the GSM transmission tower. In the second case, the GSM base tower transmits accurate time signals and operating system adjusts the clock.

But as domestic reality shows, on mobile operators there is no hope. Several times I found myself in a situation where the time on the clock jumped several hours. After which I had to disable the option to use data provided by the network.

Time servers

Since a smartphone is a computer with Internet access, the easiest way is to synchronize the clock with reference time servers. Standard firmware does not have this feature. But the problem can be solved by installing additional software. There are several such programs, and I liked one - ClockSync from a “domestic manufacturer” :-).

ClockSync synchronizes system time Android devices via the Internet via NTP protocol with exact time servers. The program is useful if the operator cellular communications does not support NITZ (automatic time synchronization) or sends incorrect values, also in case the phone clock is too fast or behind.

Works on tablets. Relevant if you need an exact time. Especially on devices without a GSM module.

Features of the ClockSync program

Automatic synchronization only works on phones with ROOT.
If you do not have root rights, then the time is checked automatically and you will receive a notification if the clock has run away too much. And you will have to synchronize the clock manually.

The program maintains a fresh database of updated time zones. And if your smartphone old firmware and he changes the clocks in Russia every spring and autumn, then this program will restore injustice. And you won’t come to work an hour earlier in the spring.

Nowadays, more and more people are moving away from using wristwatches, preferring smartphone watches. However, the phone date and time may be lost when the device is rebooted or due to a system error. In such cases, you have to change the settings yourself. To do this correctly, let's look at some features of date and time settings on Android.

Inaccurate date and time on Android may cause some apps to stop or function incorrectly. This happens because programs automatically check the expiration date of their license with the date set on the phone. And if something doesn’t add up, then they simply stop working.

How to change date and time on Android

Now let's move on to manually setting the time parameters.

Video: How to set time and date on Android

Possible problems when setting the time and their solutions

After setting new time settings, you may encounter two problems:

time settings are constantly reset;
The message “An error occurred in the Settings application” appeared on the device screen.

The following methods will help you correct these misunderstandings.

Reboot

First try restarting your smartphone. This action will start all processes again, and perhaps the errors will disappear, and the time settings will be saved.

Auto-sync

If rebooting the device did not work properly, you need to enable auto-sync. This feature allows the phone to automatically update its time settings when connected to the Internet. To enable auto-sync, follow these steps.

Installing 360root and ClockSync applications

If your phone does not have an auto-sync feature, you will need to follow these steps.

Factory reset

However, even after automatic synchronization is enabled, the time may still change on its own or generate an error. In this case, you will have to reset your phone to factory settings.

How to select, set, or add a new time zone

To find out the time zone of your region, go to the website http://www.gmt.su/city-time/country/Russia/ and find the city closest to you in the list. On the right side of the page you will see time zone information. For example, in Kaliningrad it is GMT +02:00. You will need to select this information in the settings of your phone.

If no changes have been made to the Android device, then the date and time will be set automatically, synchronizing with the mobile operator. These settings can be changed, which we will discuss below.

Setting the date and time manually

If the time is on android doesn't sync, then you can make the following changes manually:

We are interested in changes that can be made manually, so check mark automatic update remove and move on to settings. It is worth noting that while the phone is synchronized with a mobile operator, the points for changing the information we are interested in will be not available.

Let's consider available items. The first two points allow you to use automatic synchronization, i.e. The smartphone itself will receive data from mobile operator and will constantly check them.

If you uncheck these items, the following 3 settings will become available: installation date, time, and time zone.

The hour format allows you to set display style time: in 12 hour or 24 hour format.

Well, the last point will allow you to change display dates everywhere on your smartphone.

For manual remove changes first two checkbox and click sequentially on the items for setting the data of interest. In the window that appears, just set the numbers we need and save the changes.

Automatic synchronization

As mentioned above, on Android you can use automatic synchronization.

To do this, go to the same menu that we mentioned above and checking presence of checkboxes for auto-sync. You don't need to do anything else; after a while, the information will automatically change.

In addition to the standard method, there is another one - install a special application. You can find such programs in the play market.

For example, here is the popular application ClockSync.

To use it, go to Google Market and enter in the search ClockSync.

Open the found link and launch installation process.

After installation let's go in in the application, click on ellipsis above. In the menu that opens, select auto-sync.

There is no need to perform any further actions; after a while, the date and time will be synchronized and will be periodically checked with the server. Internet access is required for the application to work.

It happens that the clock on an Android device disappears, for example, after a firmware update. Returning them to the desktop is usually not difficult, since in most cases the widget only stops being displayed on the display, remaining in the device’s memory. We will tell you further how to return the clock to the Android screen or, if necessary, install new ones from the Google application store.

How to return an installed widget

If you accidentally deleted your watch or it disappeared, try displaying it on the screen in the simplest way:

If you deleted the application with the widget, read below on how to install a similar one from Google Play.

Clock widgets

Let's consider further best programs with graphic modules for the main screen of the gadget from those presented in the official application store. Basically, in addition to displaying the time, they also provide a lot of other information, for example, the weather directly at the user’s location according to data received by the utility via GPS.

Transparent clock and weather

This is one of the most popular free clock widgets with more than 10 million installations. The small program has very flexible settings, as a result of which the owner of the gadget can set the display on the display the way he needs it. Utility features:

the presence of various beautiful and informative widgets in sizes 2x1, 4x1-3, 5x3;
wide selection of design themes, covers, fonts;
display other than exact time important information— about the weather, wind direction, humidity and pressure, battery charge, calendar events, etc.

If the owner of the device does not need all this data provided by the utility by default, he can delete it in the settings and leave just the clock. To do this:

Tap your finger on the time display on the screen, which will open the settings window.
Go to the "Appearance" section, then to "Advanced Settings".
Uncheck the boxes next to the items displaying information about the current location, system information, battery charge and check the box next to the line “Hide weather”.

After this, a minimalistic widget with a clock will be displayed on the screen, the appearance of which you can also change in accordance with your own preferences.

Sense Flip Clock & Weather

This clock widget displaying time and date is suitable for users who like Flip Clock style clocks with turning pages. Features of the utility:

selection of widgets of different sizes - 4x1, 4x2 and 5x2;
Flipping animation implemented;
selection of different skins and icon display;
the location is determined automatically, which allows the user to be informed of the most accurate forecast.

The weather display here can also be turned off if necessary, after which only a beautiful retro clock will appear on the screen. You can also test other similar utilities:

Clock on lock screen

If there is a need to change installed screen locking in such a way that a large dial is displayed on it, then in this case we can recommend the “Luminous Clock Chest of Drawers”. The utility with such a strange name is free, does not require configuration and does not show any advertising on the lock screen.