Apple Watch can't handle Daylight Savings Time?

[JohnApples]

Since watchOS 2, my Apple Watch has worked very well, with my only real issue with it being speed. Other than that, all the problems I had have been addressed. But, ever since last Sunday when DST hit, my watch has been acting erratic.

The time will randomly fall back an hour. This has seriously confused me at work ("What?? I feel like I've been sitting here for an hour and only a minute has passed??") and the first time it happened (Monday), it wouldn't jump ahead until I reset my watch. Then again on Tuesday and Wednesday, it did the same thing. Once it reverted itself back to normal after a few minutes, and the other time it reverted to the correct time while I was staring at it.

Then yesterday and today, I watched my watch rapidly shift back and forth an hour, while the complications starting flipping out and displaying random info, or no info at all. Even non-time-based complications, like my Activity Rings, were going crazy. I've never seen this happen before, and this all started after DST last Sunday.

Everything went smoothly back in November when the clocks went backwards. No issue. I've tried resetting my watch several times, and not even a dreaded wipe and restore from backup fixed the issue. What gives? Has anyone else here at all seen this happen to their Watch? Any solutions? Will it go away on it's own, do you think?

Also, I do NOT live anywhere near a timezone border.

Thanks!

 

[AZhappyjack]

There is no way to set the time for the current time zone on the Watch. That info is pulled from the iPhone to which the Watch is paired.

I just tested/proved that the time setting on the Watch is pulled from the iPhone to which it's paired by manually adjusting the current time on my iPhone. When I did that, the new time was reflected on my Watch almost immediately.

With that said, are you seeing the same issue with the time changing back and forth on your iPhone, as well? If you have your iPhone set to automatically set the time (which it actually pulls from the cell tower to which the iPhone is connected), then my money would be on an issue with the time on a cell tower to which your iPhone (and by inheritance, your Watch) is connected.

You could test this theory by manually setting the time on your iPhone and seeing what happens over the course of a couple of hours or even a few days.

 

[JohnApples]

Huh, I didn't think about that, but I do think you're right.

I haven't noticed any time discrepancies on my iPhone simply because I didn't think to check it when my Watch was freaking out. But now that you mention it, each time my Watch was acting erratic, it was when I was at work, so it may very well have something to do with a specific cell tower.

Next time I notice this happening, I'm going to check what my phone's doing. Thanks!

If it IS a problem with the cell tower though, is there anything I could do about it?

 

[AZhappyjack]

Huh, I didn't think about that, but I do think you're right.

I haven't noticed any time discrepancies on my iPhone simply because I didn't think to check it when my Watch was freaking out. But now that you mention it, each time my Watch was acting erratic, it was when I was at work, so it may very well have something to do with a specific cell tower.

Next time I notice this happening, I'm going to check what my phone's doing. Thanks!

If it IS a problem with the cell tower though, is there anything I could do about it?

Your only options would be to contact your cell provider and notify them of the error. The obvious work around would be to manually set the time on your iPhone. These types of situation are not that unusual just after the change to DST in the spring and back to standard time in the fall.