How to Show Two Time Zones on Your iPhone Lock Screen

If you work with people in another time zone, travel a lot or have family overseas, checking the time back home without unlocking your iPhone is surprisingly handy. The iPhone doesn’t have a “dual clock” switch, but you can put a second (or third) time zone right on the Lock Screen with a built-in widget.

Quick answer: Touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, choose the Lock Screen, then tap Add Widgets. Pick Clock and add the World Clock or City widget. Tap the widget to choose your cities, then tap Done. The second time zone appears as a widget below your main clock, not as a second main clock. You need iOS 16 or later.

Can an iPhone show two time zones on the Lock Screen?

Yes, with a widget. There’s no dual clock switch, and the big main clock always shows your iPhone’s current time zone. Since iOS 16, though, the Lock Screen supports widgets, and the Clock app offers a small City widget (one city) and a wider World Clock widget (several cities). Together they work like a dual clock.

How to add a second time zone to your iPhone Lock Screen

1. Touch and hold the Lock Screen. If you don’t see Customize, unlock with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode first, but stay on the Lock Screen.
2. Swipe to the Lock Screen you want to change and tap Customize. If you’re asked to choose, select the Lock Screen, not the Home Screen.
3. Tap Add Widgets (on older iOS versions, tap the empty box below the time).
4. Scroll to Clock and tap it.
5. Choose the City widget for a single time zone or the World Clock widget for several.
6. Tap the Clock widget you added to the Lock Screen. If the widget gallery appears instead of city settings, tap the widget already placed on your Lock Screen again. When the city options appear, select the city you want.
7. Tap outside the widget panel, then tap Done.

Apple’s iPhone User Guide describes the same basic flow: touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, tap Add Widgets, and tap an existing widget to change it. Apple also notes that customization options can vary depending on the wallpaper you’ve chosen.

How to change the cities in the World Clock widget

A common frustration is adding the World Clock widget and seeing the wrong cities. Users in the Apple Support Community report that changing cities in the Clock app doesn’t update a widget that’s already on the Lock Screen, because the widget keeps its own selection. The fix they describe:

1. Touch and hold the Lock Screen and tap Customize, then select the Lock Screen.
2. Tap the World Clock widget on your Lock Screen. If the widget tray opens, tap the widget already placed on your Lock Screen again (not the one in the tray) to open its city settings.
3. Tap each city to replace it. Where reorder handles appear, drag them to change the order.
4. Tap Done.

The small City widget may start on Cupertino, Apple’s hometown, so tap it the same way to set your city. If you have several saved Lock Screens, make sure you’re editing the one you actually use.

Why is my iPhone Lock Screen showing the wrong time zone?

First, check which clock is incorrect. If a Clock widget shows an unexpected time, confirm it’s set to the right city using the steps above. If the city is correct, compare its time with the World Clock tab in the Clock app. If the main clock is wrong, open Settings > General > Date & Time and check the time zone and the Set Automatically option. Restarting your iPhone may also help if a widget isn’t updating as expected.

How many time zones can you show?

The widget area below the clock has limited room, so you’ll need to mix and match. A World Clock widget alone shows several cities, and you can combine it with small City widgets if space allows. An earlier iDownloadBlog guide demonstrated two World Clock widgets showing six cities in total. That setup may not be available with every iOS version or Lock Screen layout, so choose the widgets that fit your space. If you only need one extra time zone, a single small City widget takes the least space.

How to remove the second clock from your Lock Screen

If you see two clocks and don’t want the second one, a Clock widget (or a third-party clock widget) has been added to that Lock Screen. To remove it:

1. Touch and hold the Lock Screen and tap Customize.
2. Make sure you’re on the Lock Screen you use, then tap the widget area and tap the minus (–) button on the clock widget.
3. Tap Done.

Other ways to see multiple time zones on iPhone

• Clock app: Open Clock and tap World Clock to add cities.
• Home Screen widget: Add the Clock app’s World Clock widget to your Home Screen for a bigger view.
• Ask Siri: Say “What time is it in Tokyo?” for a quick answer.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get two time zones on my iPhone Lock Screen?

Customize the Lock Screen, tap Add Widgets, choose Clock, and add a City or World Clock widget. Tap it to set the city you want.

Is there a dual clock setting on iPhone?

Not as a single switch. The main clock shows one time zone, and Clock widgets add the others.

Why are there two clocks on my Lock Screen?

The second clock is usually a built-in City or World Clock widget, although some third-party apps offer clock widgets too. Customize the Lock Screen to find and remove the widget you don’t want.

Can I show three time zones on my iPhone Lock Screen?

Yes. A World Clock widget shows several cities, or you can add more than one small City widget if there’s room.

Why does my World Clock widget show the wrong cities?

The widget keeps its own city list. See the steps above to edit the widget directly on the Lock Screen.

Does this work on older iPhones?

Lock Screen widgets need iOS 16 or later. If your iPhone can’t run iOS 16, use the World Clock tab in the Clock app instead; a Home Screen clock widget may also be available, depending on your iOS version.

How we researched this guide

We based the setup steps on Apple’s iPhone User Guide on customizing the Lock Screen and the city-editing steps on a user-reported workaround in an Apple Support Community thread. We also reviewed iDownloadBlog’s guide to multiple time zones and considered related search questions when organizing this article. Menu labels can change between iOS versions, so your screen may look slightly different. We did not independently test these steps on every iOS version.

Related guide: the best free online alarm clocks.