Ring's help says you cannot manually change the time zone in the Ring app: the app uses the time zone of the location you set up, and it adjusts to your current time zone when you travel, so Event History shows timestamps in your current local time rather than your home time. That explains most wrong-time complaints: a recording from home looks hours off when you are away.
The checks in more detail
To fix a genuinely wrong time, check the location and address set for the device's location in the app, since the time zone follows it, and check the phone's own time zone and automatic time setting, which the app reads. Motion Schedules use the location's time zone, so a schedule that fires at the wrong hour usually means the location or phone time is wrong. Community threads describe time errors on some Android screens after a phone time zone change, which restarting the app clears.
For a wrong status, such as a device shown online when it is not, refresh the dashboard, check Device Health and confirm the last event time. If status and time stay wrong after fixing the location and phone, sign out and back in, update the app, and contact Ring Support with a screenshot showing the time and event. Take a screenshot showing the phone's time zone next to the event time, since the comparison usually shows the cause in a moment.
A status that flips between online and offline is really a connection problem, so use the offline steps rather than the time steps. Check the time on the event in Event History against the time on your phone lock screen, since a fixed offset of whole hours points at the time zone and a drifting error points at something else.
Differential
Likely causes of “Ring doorbells and security cameras shows the wrong time, state or sensor reading”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The location time zone
What separates it The times look off because the time zone of the device's location is not what you expect
How to confirm Check the location and address set for the device, since the time zone follows the location
- 2
The phone time setting
What separates it The times are wrong on the phone because the phone's own time setting is not right
How to confirm Set the phone to update its time automatically, and check that the time zone is correct
- 3
Traveling
What separates it Event times differ because you are traveling and the app shows your current local time
How to confirm Expect the local time to show while you travel, since the app adjusts to where you are
- 4
A schedule using the location time
What separates it A schedule fires at the wrong hour because it uses the location's time
How to confirm Correct the location for the device, so that schedules follow the right local time
- 5
A stale app state
What separates it The time is wrong on some screens because the app is in a stale state
How to confirm Restart or reinstall the Ring app, so that every screen shows fresh information
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The time shown in the app compared with the real time
- The location that is set for the device
- The time zone that is set on your phone
- A screenshot showing the event with the wrong time
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedCheck the location
ReversibleCheck the location, meaning the address and time zone, that is set for the device in the app.
Set the phone time automatically
ReversibleSet the phone to update its time automatically, and check that its time zone is correct.
Expect local time
ReversibleExpect local time when you travel, since the app shows times in the zone where you are.
Check Motion Schedules
ReversibleCheck Motion Schedules, since they use the location's time and may fire at the wrong hour.
Refresh the dashboard
ReversibleRefresh the dashboard and Device Health, so the status you see is the latest one.
Sign out and in
ReversibleSign out of the app and sign in again, and update the app if a newer version is available.
Contact Ring
ReversibleContact Ring with a screenshot if the time stays wrong, showing the event and its time.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Location
- Time follows the device location.
- Travel
- Event times follow your current phone time.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit the Stick Up Cam Battery, Floodlight Cam Wired Pro, Indoor Cam (2nd Gen).
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If time stays wrong after correcting the location, contact Ring Support
- !If the status shows wrongly, check Device Health, which shows the device's own state
- !If only one screen is wrong, restart the app
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
App overview.
Motion settings, zones, sensitivity and frequency.
Reconnect steps, 2.4 GHz, power and reset.
Motion and doorbell alert settings.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Can I change the time zone in Ring?+
No, you cannot change the time zone in Ring, because it follows the location you set up.
Why do times look wrong when I travel?+
When you travel, Ring shows your current local time, so times can look different from home.
Can the phone cause it?+
Yes, the phone's own time setting can make times look wrong in the app.
Do schedules use the location time?+
Yes, schedules use the location's time, so a wrong location shifts the schedule.
Should I restart the app?+
Yes, restart the app if only one screen looks wrong, since that points to a stale screen.