Overview
The Apple Date Time Policy (APPLE_DATE_TIME_POLICY) allows you to control date and time settings on managed Apple devices. Use this policy to set a specific NTP time server, enforce a time zone, and lock automatic date and time synchronization so end users cannot disable it.
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Policy type |
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Supported platforms | macOS |
Minimum OS requirements | macOS 10.13+, iOS 12+, iPadOS 12+ |
Why use this policy?
When a device's system clock is significantly out of sync, the Swif agent can deadlock because sync operations depend on the correct time. Manually correcting the clock may require admin permissions and can itself fail when the device is already in a bad state.
Deploying the Apple Date Time Policy resolves this automatically — once the time zone and NTP settings are pushed, the device corrects its clock and resumes syncing with the Swif agent without manual intervention.
Policy fields
Time Server
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Field name |
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Display name | Time Server |
Type | String |
Required | No |
Description | The NTP server the device connects to for time synchronization. |
Minimum OS | macOS 10.13+ |
Examples: time.apple.com, pool.ntp.org
Time Zone
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Field name |
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Display name | Time Zone |
Type | String |
Required | No |
Description | The time zone path location string as found in |
Minimum OS | macOS 10.13+ |
Examples: America/Denver, America/New_York, Europe/London, Zulu
Tip: To list all available time zone identifiers on a Mac, run:
ls /usr/share/zoneinfo/
Force Automatic Date and Time
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Field name |
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Display name | Force Automatic Date and Time |
Type | Boolean |
Required | No |
Description | When set to |
Minimum OS | macOS 10.13+, iOS 12+, iPadOS 12+ |
Example payload
{
"policyName": "APPLE_DATE_TIME_POLICY",
"policyType": "APPLE_DATE_TIME_POLICY",
"policy": {
"forceAutomaticDateAndTime": true,
"timeServer": "time.apple.com",
"timeZone": "America/Denver"
}
}This configuration points the device to Apple's default NTP server, sets the time zone to Mountain Time (America/Denver), and locks automatic date and time so the user cannot turn it off.
How to create and assign the policy
Log in to the Swif Web Portal.
Navigate to Policies in the left sidebar.
Click Create Policy.
Select Apple Date Time Policy from the policy list.
Configure the desired fields (time server, time zone, force automatic date and time).
Click Save.
Assign the policy to the appropriate device group or individual devices.
Once assigned, the policy is pushed to targeted devices on their next check-in.
Verifying the policy on a device
After the policy is deployed, confirm it is working:
Via System Settings:
Open System Settings → General → Date & Time.
Set time and date automatically should be enabled and grayed out (not toggleable by the user).
The configured time zone and NTP server should be reflected.
Via Terminal:
# Check the current NTP server
sudo systemsetup -getnetworktimeserver
# Check if network time is enabled
sudo systemsetup -getusingnetworktime
# Check the current time zone
sudo systemsetup -gettimezone
Expected output example:
Network Time Server: time.apple.com
Network Time: On
Time Zone: America/Denver
Troubleshooting
Symptom | Possible cause | Resolution |
Device time does not update after policy deployment | Device cannot reach the NTP server (firewall or network restriction) | Ensure outbound access to the NTP server on UDP port 123 is allowed. |
Time zone shows as incorrect | Wrong zone string in the policy | Verify the string matches an entry in |
"Set Automatically" is not locked |
| Edit the policy and set the field to |
Swif agent still not syncing after policy is applied | System clock was corrected but the agent has not restarted | Restart the Swif agent or wait for the next scheduled check-in. |
Related resources
How to Verify and Fix Mac Date, Time and Time Zone for Swif Agent — manual steps for cases where the policy cannot be applied.
Apple MDM Date & Time documentation — Apple's reference for the underlying MDM payload.