Parts of Canada will stay on daylight saving time permanently from November 1, and Google warns some Android phones may show the wrong time. Phones without the latest time-zone updates are the ones at risk.
Google Calendar is affected too. Events in the affected zones may appear an hour late on and after November 1. The one-click fix exists only on Calendar for the web, not in the Android or iPhone apps.
Where Canada is moving to permanent daylight saving time
Google’s Calendar Help page lists four affected time zones. They cover Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories.
How to fix the wrong time on an Android phone
Google’s first advice, posted on its Android Help Community, is to update and restart:
“If you are in Canada and your device is showing an incorrect time due to the new time zone laws beginning Nov 1, please apply any pending updates from your phone’s manufacturer and Google, and then restart your device.”
If the clock is still wrong after a restart, Google suggests these steps:
- Open Settings and search for “Date and Time.”
- Turn on Automatic time zone.
- Turn on Use location for time zone.
You can also set it manually. Go to Settings > Date and Time and turn off Automatic time zone. Then open Time Zone > Region > Canada and pick a time zone with the correct offset.
Android Authority adds that older phones no longer getting updates may need a manual time change after the transition. If you’re unsure whether your phone still gets updates, our report on the Pixel 6 update window shows how support periods end.
What Google Calendar will do
Google says it will automatically shift most affected events back one hour during October, to their original local times. That covers single events and recurring events without future exceptions. Guests will need to RSVP again afterward.
Google also says it won’t be able to update all affected events. Events you’ve already corrected won’t be moved again. Affected events carry a warning badge.
On the web, organizers see a banner offering Move one hour earlier or Keep current time. Those banners and one-click fixes don’t appear in the Calendar app for Android, iPhone or iPad. They don’t appear in third-party calendar apps either.
That’s a real gap for people who manage their calendar only on a phone. The mobile apps offer no banner or one-click fix, so correcting an event means opening Calendar on the web. In the app, Google recommends keeping both the app and the phone’s software updated. If the app and the web still disagree, it suggests temporarily switching the calendar to a matching GMT time zone.
Outlook meetings and invites from across the border
For meetings organized in Outlook, check with the organizer. If the time is wrong, they should resend the invite rather than forward it.
The problem doesn’t stop at Canada’s borders. Android Authority notes that an invite from an organizer in an affected Canadian zone can shift for you too, even in the US. Only the organizer can fix that event.
Room bookings may also conflict when events move. Calendar will try to rebook rooms automatically.
Source: Google Android Help Community, Google Calendar Help, Android Authority
