Bell is reminding wireless customers today that phones in parts of Canada may show the wrong time after Sunday, when some provinces stop turning the clocks back. That warning lines up with recent calendar confusion in B.C., where software also struggled with the new rules.
British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories are moving to permanent daylight saving time, along with select communities in Northwestern Ontario. Devices that do not refresh their time settings can display the wrong clock or time zone, which can throw off alarms, appointments and travel plans.
Travellers crossing into provinces that still fall back on November 1 may notice the mismatch more than anyone else.
According to a Bell spokesperson in an email to iPhone in Canada, customers should take two steps with their wireless devices ahead of the change:
Keeping the phone on the latest software also helps. The iOS 27.2 update is already out for iPhone, and Android devices should install any pending system updates before Sunday as well.
The regions staying on daylight saving time are British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, and these Northwestern Ontario communities: Kenora, Dryden, Fort Frances, Atikokan, Rainy River District, Pickle Lake and New Osnaburgh.
Elsewhere in Canada, clocks still spring forward and fall back as usual. That split is why a phone that looked fine at home can be an hour off after a flight or a drive into another province, including customers on Bell wireless plans who travel between time zones this weekend.
The Canadian Telecommunications Association has posted step-by-step guidance for checking the clock on phones and tablets. On iPhone, that means Settings, then General, then Date & Time, with Set Automatically turned on. On Android, search Settings for Date and time and leave automatic date, time and time zone on.
If the clock is still wrong after a reboot, turn off the automatic setting temporarily and pick the correct time zone by hand, then turn automatic time back on once the device has the right zone.
Have you already checked that Automatic Date and Time is switched on?
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
