Time zones on iPhone

[Ratsima]

You still have the problem where you can't tell Calendar to display an event's time in the time zone where it actually happens.

You need to be able to have an event (like a flight) that has different time zones for the departure and arrival. Tripit does this and it exports the correct time zones, but Calendar doesn't know how to deal with it.

From Tripit:

Tue, Nov 26
13:05 +07
[Flight] BKK to HKG
Confirmation # RKZ5M7
Cathay Pacific 614
17:00 HKT
Arrive Hong Kong (HKG)
Terminal 1

It shows the departure as 13:05 +07 (GMT plus 7 hours) and the arrival at 17:00 HKT (Hong Kong Time)

[Rod]

I agree 100% with Jake. It took me a while to get it myself. In actual fact Set Automatically does not do what I thought. It only sets the time automatically (to the correct time) once you set the correct time zone.
I am in Bali Indonesesia GMT+8 But Java is GMT+7 to get the right time on my devices correct I have to set them to Makassar time.
Here a handy online reference with search. World Time Zones

[ferrarr]

but Calendar doesn't know how to deal with it.

I wouldn’t expect Calendar to work that way. It can only work one time zone at a time. It does not know what your “schedule” means.


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[MacInWin]

Calendar can handle it. When you enter an event, in the date/time setting dialog there is a box for the time zone. If you click on the time zone it shows, a drop down menu appears with a few options and then "Other" which further opens a dialog where you can enter any city in any timezone anywhere. The event then shows on your calendar for the local time where you are that is converted from the time of the meeting where you will be. So, for example look at this:
2019-09-20 08.13.18 am.png
I entered this test event, set the time for 9:00 GMT and it now shows on my calendar at 5 AM because I am in the US Eastern Time Zone and right now it is -4.

2019-09-20 08.17.47 am.png

So Calendar does handle appointments in other time zones.

One of the items in the dropdown is "floating" but I'm not sure how that works.

You can also change the time zone of the calendar to make the appointment, then change it back and the time will adjust. Here is Apple's article on that: Use different time zones in Calendar on Mac - Apple Support

[ferrarr]

Jake, but not an airplane trip to a different time zone. That was what "I thought" was being discussed anyway.

[MacInWin]

Bob, I'm not sure what you mean. I have a planned trip to London as I have described, departs Dulles at 6:00PM arrives London 6:30 AM the next day. When I entered the trip data automatically from the confirmation email, Calendar properly entered the departure time in my time zone, and the arrival time is also correct for my time zone. When I shift the calendar to London time, the arrival time then shows the local time I will arrive in London. The departure time also shifts to London time. In fact, everything on my calendar shifts to London time. So I'm not sure what "not an airplane trip to a different time zone" means, sorry.

[IWT]

Great find, Jake. Research and determination have demonstrated something I certainly didn’t know about and I’m sure I’m not alone.

Ian

PS To keep the event from moving when you view a different time zone, choose Floating.

[JackInOlyWa]

I don’t know about Milan but when I was in western Sicily the auto setting was not correct. Time stamps on photos were 1 hour off; I think it was set to the Tunisian time zone. Also in Banff Canada they were not always correct. I don’t trust the auto setting in a new place, especially when it is near a time zone border.

[MacInWin]

@JackInOlyWa, could it be that a Daylight Savings, or Summer time shift was in play? Not everybody in a timezone uses Summer time, or if they do, not at the same date range. Being one hour off makes me think it is more of that kind of thing. You can check on your iPhone under Settings/General/Data & Time and make sure that "Set Automatically" is on. That way the GPS/Cellular location of where you are will set the time and make adjustments for the local Summer time settings.

[TechnoBob]

This event-reporting in current time zone situation extends across apps, I've found. For example, I was in Japan and wrote in my journaling app what I did that day. When I got home, the date (and time) for the entry had changed to the date and time it was back here on the east coast (a day later!). I contacted the developer and asked for a switch that would allow the time/date for an entry to stay what it was locally, but they -- and, it would seem, all apps that use date/time tagging -- have decided that we always want the time to float to whatever time zone we travel to in the future. Very frustrating. We are not all using all of our apps for international phone call scheduling!

[Rod]

I can see arguments for both sides of the coin here, especially with Calendars or reminders. I'm pretty sure that feature can be changed to reflect local or "home" time at least on the apps I use that require time stamps.
For example Fantastical allows Time Zone Override at the click of a single button.


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[MacInWin]

When I got home, the date (and time) for the entry had changed to the date and time it was back here on the east coast (a day later!). I contacted the developer and asked for a switch that would allow the time/date for an entry to stay what it was locally, but they -- and, it would seem, all apps that use date/time tagging -- have decided that we always want the time to float to whatever time zone we travel to in the future.

You need to look for a different application. I use DayOne, and it shows the time of the entry, plus the timezone of the post. So, for example, a post I made while in London indicates it was made at 11:41 AM, GMT+1. Plus, all my images (in Photos) taken with my iPhone show the local time of taking the picture, not the time of where I am a the current time. The only "shifting" time is in Calendar, as it should be.