Each RotaFlow schedule has its own time zone in Working Hours. Shift reminders, notifications, Siri answers and calendar exports use that time zone, so they stay correct when you travel or your phone changes zone. Widgets and Apple Watch switch to the new day at midnight.
Shift work already bends the clock. A night shift starts on one date and ends on the next, and a reminder that comes two hours early can cost real sleep. Travel adds another layer, because your phone changes time zone while your workplace does not. The fix is to tie your rota to the place where you work.
Set the time zone where you work
Open Working Hours for your schedule and set Time Zone to the time zone of your workplace. Then enter the start and end times for your Day and Night shifts. An end time earlier than the start time continues into the next day, which is how a 19:00–07:00 night shift is saved.
These settings improve reminders, Calendar events, work-hour totals and pay estimates. They do not change your repeating Day, Night and Off pattern.
Night shifts and midnight
A night shift belongs to the date it starts. RotaFlow keeps that link when you ask Siri when your shift ends, so an overnight shift that started yesterday and is still running gets the right answer. If you ask when your next shift is after today’s shift has ended, Siri answers with the next one instead of today’s.
Home Screen widgets, Lock Screen widgets, Watch complications and the Watch app switch to the new day at midnight, even if the iPhone app stays closed overnight. Until you save a schedule, they show “No rota yet” and open RotaFlow when tapped, instead of sample shifts.
Reminders follow your rota, not your phone
Shift reminders and event notifications are scheduled in the schedule’s time zone. When you travel and your phone switches time zone, they still arrive at the right time for the shift. Options include pre-shift, night wind-down and post-night recovery reminders, and Settings shows a preview of what is coming up.
Free uses fixed or hour-based timing depending on the reminder type, and Pro adds 15-minute precision. Notification permissions, Focus and device settings still affect delivery.
Exports and rotas in different time zones
Calendar (.ics) exports keep swaps, leave and working-time changes on the first and last day of a range when the rota’s time zone differs from the phone’s. Special-day and swap date ranges use the rota’s time zone and a short local format, such as 12–15 Mar 2026.
If you keep more than one rota, for example a main job and a second job in another region, each schedule can have its own time zone. Check Working Hours for each schedule after you move or change employer.
Feature FAQ
Why did my shift reminder go off at the wrong time after I travelled?
Older versions could schedule reminders in the phone’s current time zone. From RotaFlow 3.10, reminders use the schedule’s time zone, so check that Working Hours shows the time zone of your workplace.
How does RotaFlow handle night shifts that pass midnight?
Enter an end time that is earlier than the start time and the shift continues into the next day. The shift belongs to the date it starts, and Siri still finds it while it runs after midnight.
Do widgets change day at midnight if I don’t open the app?
Yes. From RotaFlow 3.10, Home Screen widgets, Lock Screen widgets and Apple Watch switch to the new day at midnight without opening the iPhone app.