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An old problem that affected the iPhone many years ago starts impacting the Apple Watch

If you're a long time PhoneArena reader, you'll remember that the iPhone suffered with this problem for several years.

By Alan Friedman

Published: Oct 26, 2026, 6:10 PM

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Apple Watch catches typical Apple time-telling bug | Image by Apple

Daylight Saving Time comes to an end in the US this Sunday, November 1 at 2 AM. All clocks are moved back an hour, giving us back that precious hour of sleep that was taken from us on March 8, 2026, when Daylight Saving Time began. In 2027, Daylight Saving Time will begin at 2 AM on Sunday, March 14.

Get ready for the evening to begin at 4 PM in the Northeast US starting on Sunday

Up here in Massachusetts, the end of Daylight Saving Time means that it will get pitch dark at 4 PM. It also means that no matter where you live, you might want to double-check the time on your iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad because typically Apple devices have had a problem with the concept of Daylight Saving Time.

In 2010, a bug in iOS 4 caused recurring alarms to go off an hour early or an hour late when the time changed in countries as diverse as the US, New Zealand, Australia, and in parts of Europe.

Apple traditionally has had an issue with Daylight Saving Time in the US

The next year, some iPhone users found that their alarms didn't adjust to the time change at all. The 2012 gaffe pushed iPhone clocks back an hour instead of moving them ahead by an hour. This left many iPhone users late for work and appointments.

Headline from PhoneArena detailing Daylight Saving Time bug on iPhone in 2012.

March 2012 headline reveals that the iPhone has issues with Daylight Saving Time. | Image by PhoneArena

The next year for Daylight Saving Time issues with Apple devices came in 2019 when users of some Apple devices complained that their alarms did not make the necessary adjustment when the time changed.

Additionally, in 2019 Apple had to disseminate a critical update to devices from 2012 and earlier to maintain accurate GPS and time settings due to what was being described as a GPS time rollover issue.

Apple's Daylight Saving monster rears its head in the UK and Europe

We'd love to tell you that in this day and age, Apple no longer has any issue with Daylight Saving Time. Yes, we'd love to tell you this, but alas we can't.

In the UK and in Europe on Sunday, the Apple Daylight Saving monster reared its ugly head yet again as several European Apple Watch users reported that while their timepiece was correctly displaying the time, the always-on display was incorrectly showing summer time, making the time on the watch an hour fast.

Some Apple Watch users have found a way to exterminate the Daylight Saving Time bug

The issue also showed up in standby mode. Some users were able to exterminate the bug by restarting their Apple Watches, and yet switching watch faces also saved the day for other Apple Watch users.

While the clocks don't go back one hour in the US until Sunday morning, when you wake up on November 1, check the time on your Apple Watch with the official time from the National Institute of Standards and Technology website. Go to time.gov, or click on this link. Make sure that the time in your zone matches the time on your Apple Watch.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

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