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PSA: Reset your iPhone alarms to avoid the Daylight Saving Time bug

By: , IntoMobile
Friday, November 5th, 2010 at 10:06 AM
Rooster Alarm clock

Rooster Alarm clockA pesky Daylight Saving Time bug caused widespread tardiness last week in Europe and it is poised to strike again this weekend stateside. Here in the US and Canada, the clocks are slated to jump back an hour, in accordance with Daylight Saving Time, on November 7th. This time change will cause a problem for iPhone and iPod touch owners that use recurrent alarms. While the iPhone’s internal clock resets itself without error, the alarm clock does not, resulting in alarms that are going off an hour too late. Oops.

Apple acknowledged this bug in a recent support document and advised iPhone and iPod touch owners to change their alarm settings. iOS owners with a recurrent alarm should set the repeat interval to Never and use a daily alarm. After November 7th has passed, the bug will no longer affect recurring alarms and everything will return to normal.

Devices affected by the bug include the iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (2nd generation), iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, and the iPhone 3GS.

Consider yourself duly warned about this mildly disruptive bug. Those that get pleasure out of another person’s foibles may want to watch twitter on Sunday. It will most likely be buzzing with folks waking up an hour too late and quizzically wondering why. Thankfully, this time change occurs over the weekend in North America so most people’s jobs will not be affected by this glitch. You may have to cut your morning coffee time in half, but you won’t have to face your boss as you try to slink in an hour late.

[Via Apple]

About The Author

Kelly Hodgkins

Kelly spent the last four years covering mobile technology at places like BGR, Gizmodo and The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Before writing, she spent a few years working with and teaching others how to use Adobe Flash and Macromedia Director. Even earlier than that, she spent several years as a Ph.D student in Microbiology. When she's not writing, she can be found fishing the lakes and hiking the mountains of Western Maine with her husband and tribe of children. You can follow her on Twitter @kellyhodgkins.

  • http://twitter.com/chaoscentral John Pisano

    you mean an hour early, not late… the clocks go back, so unless the bug is where the alarm goes back 2 hours instead of 1 you will be early not late….

  • Maggieelewis

    It still goes off an hour late, and it still does it after 11/7