Set Device Date & Time

LambdaTest now supports configuring custom date, time, and hour-format on Real Devices via Appium during automation testing sessions. This allows developers and testers to simulate specific date/time conditions to validate use cases like scheduled events, alarms, chats, or localization for time formats.

By the end of this document, you will be able to:

Set a specific date and time on the device
Toggle between 12-hour and 24-hour formats
Enable/disable automatic time syncing with network settings

Support for Automation on Real Devices

To modify the date and time settings programmatically, use the lambda_executor Appium hook with the updateDeviceSettings action. You can provide multiple arguments including custom date, time, format toggle, and auto-time setting.

Supported Arguments

Argument	Format	Description
`customDate`	`MMM DD YYYY`	Sets the device date. You can select a date up to 7 days from today.
`customTime`	`HH:MM`	Sets time in 24-hour format `(e.g., 13:30)`. Display adapts based on `twelveHourTime` (shown as `1:30 PM` if enabled).
`twelveHourTime`	`On` / `Off`	`On` for 12-hour, `Off` for 24-hour format.
`setAutomatically`	`On` / `Off`	Enables or disables syncing with network time.

💡 Note: When setAutomatically is turned On, all Other Arguments for Date and Time are automatically disabled on the device.

Appium Hook Example

driver.execute_script('lambda_executor: { 
"action": "updateDeviceSettings", 
"arguments": { 
  "customDate": "Jun 20 2025", 
  "customTime": "15:05", 
  "twelveHourTime": "On", 
  "setAutomatically": "On" 
} 
}')

Supported Platforms

Platform	OS Version	Support Status
iOS	14 and above	Fully Supported

note

This feature is currently not supported on Android. Support for Android is planned in a future update.

Example Use Cases

Validate how the app behaves across different time zones or locales.
Test reminder or calendar event triggering logic.
Test 12-hour vs. 24-hour format layout rendering.

For Configuring Device Date and Time during Manual Testing on Real Devices, please refer to our Set Date & Time on Real Devices (Manual) guide.