How to Change the Time on Your Fitbit
Fitbit devices don't always show the correct time straight out of the box — and after events like daylight saving time, traveling across time zones, or switching phones, that clock can drift out of sync. The good news is that Fitbit handles time differently than most gadgets, and once you understand the mechanism, fixing it is usually straightforward.
How Fitbit Handles Time
Unlike a traditional watch where you manually set the hours and minutes directly on the device, Fitbit trackers and smartwatches sync their time automatically from the Fitbit app on your connected smartphone or tablet. The device itself doesn't have a standalone time-setting interface — it pulls the time from your phone's clock each time it syncs.
This means:
- Your phone's time zone and clock settings are the primary source of truth
- The Fitbit app acts as the relay between your phone's system clock and your tracker
- Manual time adjustment happens at the phone or app level, not on the Fitbit display itself
Step-by-Step: Changing the Time on a Fitbit
Step 1 — Fix the Time on Your Phone First
Since your Fitbit mirrors your smartphone's clock, start there.
- On iPhone: Go to Settings → General → Date & Time and ensure Set Automatically is toggled on, or manually select the correct time zone.
- On Android: Go to Settings → General Management → Date and Time (exact path varies by manufacturer) and toggle Automatic date and time on, or set it manually.
If your phone's time is wrong, your Fitbit's time will be wrong too.
Step 2 — Sync Your Fitbit
Once your phone shows the correct time, force a sync between the app and the device:
- Open the Fitbit app on your phone
- Tap your profile photo or device image
- Select your tracker from the list
- Pull down on the dashboard to trigger a manual sync, or look for a Sync Now option
After a successful sync, your Fitbit should update to display the corrected time within a few seconds to a minute.
Step 3 — Check Time Zone Settings in the Fitbit App
If syncing didn't fix it, the issue may be inside the app itself. The Fitbit app has its own time zone setting that can override or conflict with your phone's system setting.
- Open the Fitbit app
- Tap your profile icon → App Settings
- Look for Time Zone
- If it's set to a manual or incorrect zone, switch it to Set Automatically or select the correct region manually
This step catches a lot of daylight saving time problems and post-travel clock discrepancies.
Why the Time Might Be Wrong — Common Scenarios
| Scenario | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Moved to a new time zone | Phone or app still on old zone | Update phone time zone, re-sync |
| Daylight saving time shift | App set to manual time zone | Switch app to automatic time zone |
| Just set up a new Fitbit | Not yet synced to phone | Complete initial app setup and sync |
| Switched to a new phone | App not re-paired | Re-pair device, allow sync to complete |
| Time is off by exactly 1 hour | DST mismatch | Check both phone and app time zone settings |
12-Hour vs. 24-Hour Clock Format ⏰
Beyond just the time zone, you may want to change how the time is displayed — 12-hour (AM/PM) versus 24-hour military format. This setting lives in the Fitbit app:
- Open the Fitbit app
- Go to your profile → your device → Clock Faces or Device Settings
- Look for a Clock Display Time option
- Toggle between 12-hour and 24-hour format
Not all Fitbit models surface this setting in exactly the same location — Fitbit Sense, Versa, and Charge series devices each have slightly different app menu layouts depending on firmware version. The setting exists across all current models, but you may need to scroll through Device Settings to find it.
Fitbit GPS and Automatic Time Sync
Some higher-end Fitbit models with built-in GPS can also sync time from GPS satellite signals during outdoor workouts. This generally keeps the clock highly accurate even without a phone nearby, but it doesn't replace the app-based sync as the primary method for everyday time management.
When the Time Still Won't Update 🔧
If you've corrected the phone time, toggled the app's time zone to automatic, and forced a sync — and the time is still wrong — a few additional steps are worth trying:
- Restart the Fitbit device by holding the side button until the Fitbit logo appears
- Log out of the Fitbit app and back in, then re-sync
- Check for pending firmware updates on your Fitbit — outdated firmware occasionally causes sync irregularities
- Uninstall and reinstall the Fitbit app as a last resort, which can clear cached settings causing conflicts
The Variable That Changes Everything
The exact path through these steps depends on factors specific to your situation: which Fitbit model you own, which OS version is running on your phone, whether your app is up to date, and whether you're dealing with a time zone issue, a format preference, or a sync failure. A Fitbit Versa 4 paired to an iPhone 15 behaves slightly differently in the app menus than a Fitbit Charge 5 paired to a Samsung Galaxy. The underlying logic is the same — phone syncs to app, app syncs to device — but the exact taps and menu labels vary enough that your own screen may not match a generic walkthrough exactly.
Knowing where the time actually lives (your phone and the Fitbit app, not the tracker itself) is usually the insight that makes the rest of it click.