iPhone 6 time drifts several seconds per day, even when synced to server

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Level 4

1,829 points

iPhone 6 time drifts several seconds per day, even when synced to server

My iPhone 6 was upgraded to iOS 9 a few days ago, and since then its clock is gaining several seconds per day, even when synced to the network time server. Turning sync off and setting by hand allows the correct time to be displayed temporarily, but when sync is turned back on, the time immediately snaps back to the incorrect time. At this point it's 16 seconds faster than the official time reported by time.gov, and gaining time each day.

I first thought it might be an AT&T issue, as I presumed they handle network time sync for phones. But some troubleshooting by their talented social media team determined that it even happens when cellular data is turned off. They also pointed me toward the following thread:

https:// *******

This strongly indicates that it's an iOS 9 problem. Has anyone else here run across it?

iPhone 6, iOS 9, 128GB, GSM/AT&T

Posted on Sep 22, 2015 8:27 AM

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Answer 1

Demo

Level 10

166,747 points

Sep 22, 2015 8:50 AM in response to Eric Westby

I don't know what to make of it and I would never have noticed it had I not read your question, but yes, I am seeing exactly what you are seeing on my iPhone 5S. My iPad Air 2 is correct but the phone is 16 seconds fast. Verizon is my carrier.

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Answer 2

Eric Westby Author

Level 4

1,829 points

Sep 23, 2015 11:14 AM in response to Demo

Fascinating. And as of today my iPhone is now 20 seconds fast, so the problem isn't going away.

Some in the developer thread linked above reported that the problem is fixed in the iOS 9.1 beta, so here's hoping that's true.

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Answer 3

Eric Westby Author

Level 4

1,829 points

Sep 25, 2015 2:41 PM in response to Eric Westby

The issue is not fixed in iOS 9.0.1. I guess we'll have to wait for 9.1.

Anyone else seeing the problem?

P.S. What purpose did it serve to remove the link in the original post to Apple's own developer thread offering critical details about the bug? It wasnt a commercial thread, nor was there any inappropriate material there.

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Answer 4

Touchdwn

Level 1

8 points

Sep 29, 2015 8:00 AM in response to Eric Westby

I am having the same problem on an iphone 6 plus and an ipad. My wife's phone and two other Ipads I have are not experiencing the problem. All have been updated to9.0.1.

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Answer 5

Eric Westby Author

Level 4

1,829 points

Oct 3, 2015 6:14 AM in response to Touchdwn

Good news: on my iPhone, the problem appears to be fixed as of iOS 9.0.2, despite not being mentioned in the public release notes. I installed it this morning, and the drift when unsynchronized suddenly snapped back to a reasonable 0.2 seconds. But far more importantly, there is no drift at all when time synchronization is turned on in settings.

VIsiting time.is -- I hope no one will mysteriously remove this link as well -- on your device is a great way to tell if your system clock is properly synced.

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