How do I put the date on photos on an iPhone?

The iPhone's camera can't do it. Use a camera app that stamps the date as you shoot, such as Timesnap, which uses the real internet time instead of the phone's clock.

Can a timestamp be faked?

A stamp that uses the phone's clock can: change the date in Settings and the stamp follows. Timesnap ignores the phone's clock, and each photo has a code anyone can check online against the record made when it was taken.

Does the timestamp work on videos?

In Timesnap, yes: the clock is drawn on every frame and ticks live while you record.

Does it work without internet?

Yes. Once Timesnap has the correct time it keeps it, even in airplane mode. If the phone restarts with no connection, it asks you to connect before it stamps.

Add a Date and Time Stamp to Photos on iPhone & Android

A date printed on the photo itself is easy to see and travels with every copy. Here's how to add one, and how to make sure it's the real time.

Old film cameras printed the date in orange in the corner. Phones don't: they save the date as a hidden detail instead, which most people never see and which disappears when a photo is shared through an app. For work records, inspections, deliveries and evidence, a visible stamp is far more useful.

Can my phone's camera add a timestamp?

iPhone: no. The Camera app has no date-stamp option; the date is only stored in the photo's details.

Android: some phones can. Look in the camera's settings for a Watermark option; many Xiaomi phones, for example, can add the time. Many others, including Pixel phones, can't.

Either way, a built-in stamp uses the phone's own clock, which anyone can change in Settings.

Adding a stamp after the photo was taken

Photo editors and "date stamp" apps can write a date onto a picture you've already taken. That's fine for holiday albums, but it proves nothing: the date can be typed in by hand or changed first. For anything that might be questioned, the stamp has to be added at the moment of capture, from a time the photographer can't change.

Add a trusted timestamp with Timesnap

Install Timesnap from the App Store or Google Play and open it.
Allow camera and location access, so the address can be added.
Take a photo or a video. The date, time, day and address are drawn onto it as you shoot; on videos, the clock ticks on every frame.
The photo is saved to your phone's gallery, with its verification code on the stamp.

Timesnap camera with the verified date, time and address stamped on the photo — Timesnap draws the verified date, time and address onto the photo as you take it.

The time comes from internet time servers (and, on Android, GPS satellites too), not from the phone's clock, so changing the phone's date or time doesn't change the stamp. Once Timesnap has the correct time it keeps it, even in airplane mode. If it can't be sure, for example after the phone restarts with no connection, it asks you to go online before it stamps, rather than guessing.

Choosing the stamp's look

In Timesnap's settings you can choose 12- or 24-hour time, day-first or month-first dates, and the stamp's font, colour and size. Timesnap Pro adds the stamp studio: designs for different jobs, your own logo, a small map, the weather, and a choice of nearby addresses.

Why a printed stamp beats hidden details

Everyone sees it at a glance, without opening anything.
It survives screenshots, WhatsApp and email, which strip hidden details.
It can't be removed without visibly damaging the photo, and with Timesnap, any change to the photo shows in red when it's checked.

Take photos with the real time and place on them: get the free Timesnap camera.

How to add a date and time stamp to photos