idevicedate

Display the current date and time

$ idevicedate

$ idevicedate --sync

$ idevicedate --set [timestamp]

idevicedate [-u ] [-d ]

-u
    Specifies the UDID (Unique Device Identifier) of the device to target. If not specified, and only one device is connected, it will target that device. Use 'idevice_id -l' to get connected device UDIDs.

-d
    Sets the date and time on the device to the specified value. The date must be in a supported format, typically YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.

The idevicedate command is a utility used to retrieve or set the current date and time on a connected iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) via USB. It interacts with the device using the libimobiledevice library. It is primarily used for testing purposes, or scenarios where precise time synchronization is required on the iOS device, independent from network time synchronization. It allows you to get the current date time, and modify it to a specific date time which can be useful in testing scenarios. idevicedate is part of a suite of tools designed for interacting with iOS devices from the command line on Linux and other Unix-like systems.
Note: requires that the device is properly connected via USB and is trusted by the host computer.

Setting the date and time incorrectly can cause issues with the device's functionality. Use with caution. The device must be unlocked and trusted for the tool to function correctly. Requires libimobiledevice and its dependencies to be installed.

The date format accepted by idevicedate is typically in the format 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS'. It's important to verify the exact format required by the specific version of libimobiledevice being used.

If idevicedate fails, it will often provide an error message. Common errors include device not found, device not trusted, or incorrect date format. Check device connection, trust status and date syntax when troubleshooting.

idevicedate is part of the libimobiledevice project, which aims to provide a free and open-source library and tools for communicating with Apple's mobile devices. It was developed to address the limitations of proprietary software and provide developers with a way to interact with iOS devices on Linux and other platforms. The tool has evolved with updates to libimobiledevice to support newer iOS versions and device models. Its usage is most common in test automation and debugging scenarios where controlled time settings are required.

idevice_id(1), idevicediagnostics(1)