How to Force iTunes to Sync iPhone Clock with PC?

Question

Level 1

6 points

How to Force iTunes to Sync iPhone Clock with PC?

Hi,

I'm on O2 in the UK and have found: 1) O2 don't provide an automatic network time sync, 2) Apple does not allow apps to set the time and 3) The settings utility only woks in minutes, not seconds. Consequently, I've been suffering an inaccurate clock on the iPhone.

Research suggests the above is correct but that the phone will sync with iTunes when connected. This categorically does not happen for me. My PC clock is very accurate and this would do the job for me but, as I said, iTunes never seems to sync the iPhone clock from the PC.

Can anyone tell me how to make this happen? There are many posts which suggest that most people have this facility but I just can't seem to make mine do it.

Thanks in anticipation.

iphone 3GS 32GB

Posted on Feb 7, 2010 7:10 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Feb 7, 2010 7:17 AM in response to Neil__C

Phone generally get their time from the network timing signals rather than anything else - I have just checked mine against a radio Clock sync'ed to the Rugby transmitter adn its spot on.

Your PC on its own isn't that accurate - its just synced with another NNTP server, which in the UK probably gets its timing from Rugby.

Whet makes you believe that O2 isn't accurate and they don't provide a time sync ? Just because you can't access it doesn't mean that it isn't there ?

Reply

Answer 2

Neil__C Author

Level 1

6 points

Feb 7, 2010 7:21 AM in response to Graham Outterside

Hi,

My PC clock is internet synced and is accurate to within a second - good enough for me. If that would sync the iphone time via iTunes, all would be good. O2 does not provide the sync facility as the option to 'automatically set time' is missing from the settings screens. Took me quite a while to realise that when American friends were saying 'just set time automatically in settings' - you can't do that with O2 as that setting does not appear.

Regards

Reply

Answer 3

Feb 7, 2010 1:35 PM in response to Neil__C

Neil__C wrote:
Took me quite a while to realise that when American friends were saying 'just set time automatically in settings' - you can't do that with O2 as that setting does not appear.

Who the service provider makes no difference - I suspect your friends have the 3G which does have that option, but its not on the 3GS as it sync's with a NNTP server over the data link.

Again (sorry if I missed it), what makes you say the iPhone time is actually incorrect ?

And the reason your PC is correct is probably because its internet connection is takling to a NNTP server all the time - the PC itself would be pretty inaccurate.

Reply

Answer 4

Neil__C Author

Level 1

6 points

Feb 8, 2010 1:18 AM in response to Graham Outterside

Thanks again,

The inaccuracy is not subjective - the clock is currently nearly a minute out and, from experience, it will continue to drift. I didn't understand that the 3GS specifically no longer used the auto setting but uses NNTP instead - thanks for that info. Am I correct in assuming that not time-syncing with the PC is also working as designed?

Given my symptoms, it appears that the "... 3GS as it sync's with a NNTP server over the data link..." is not working correctly for me. I could understand a time server being a fixed amount off but the fact that the time continues to drift suggests it's not syncing at all. I always have wifi and 3G on. Do you have any ideas why this might be happening and what I could do about it?

Thanks again for the help.

Reply

Answer 5

Neil__C Author

Level 1

6 points

Feb 13, 2010 5:24 AM in response to Neil__C

So .....

Having learnewd some new stuff, is there anyone that can advise on how to either make the 3GS NNTP sync work for me or to force iTunes to update the iPhone clock when I connect by USB?

Regards

Reply

Answer 6

NickUK

Level 1

0 points

Feb 27, 2010 11:08 AM in response to Neil__C

I'm getting this as well. Mines about 15-20 seconds fast when compared to my radio time syncd clock and my laptop.
Syncing with iTunes seems to do nothing as well and I also don't have the set time automatically option on my iPhone.

Reply

Answer 7

Feb 27, 2010 2:34 PM in response to Graham Outterside

Graham Outterside wrote:
Who the service provider makes no difference - I suspect your friends have the 3G which does have that option, but its not on the 3GS as it sync's with a NNTP server over the data link.

Not all carriers support network time via their cellular data network. If the network time is not supported, the automatic setting will not appear. It doesn't matter if the phone is a 3G or 3GS.

See page 147 of http://manuals.info.apple.com/enUS/iPhone_UserGuide.pdf

Reply

Answer 8

Mar 1, 2010 6:44 AM in response to Jim VanLeeuwen

this explains the problem, but does not offer a solution.

I too have an iphone that is currently 50secs slow. I can't set it manually and I can't sync using O2 (O2 say they can't do anything about it).

so how on earth do I set the time to be correct?!

Reply

Answer 9

Roepjeme

Level 1

0 points

Apr 21, 2010 12:17 PM in response to double-drat

Same here, I live in The Hague and my Iphone 3.1.3 is about 50 sec slow compared to my laptop nothing helps. It says it's sync'd with amsterdam en my laptop to apple europe. What are the consequences for these differences? Accept that my recordings are never in the correct time.

Reply