Birthdays and New Year across time zones — follow their local date

Whose midnight are you celebrating?

A New Year greeting can follow the recipient's midnight even when your own day is already different. A birthday has the same timing problem: the date belongs to the person celebrating, so begin with their local calendar rather than your device's date.

Create a recognizable favorite with their name and an optional photo. A celebrations profile or family group helps you find the right person quickly. Ask whether they enjoy a midnight call or would prefer a message or conversation during their usual waking hours.

Set up the recipient's clock

1. Choose your profile's own timezone for the place where you will be. Check this reference before entering any local date or time in the app.
2. Add the recipient as a person and select the timezone of their actual city. Give the favorite a name you recognize without relying on a city label alone.
3. Add an optional photo and group, then enter contact hours only after agreeing them with the recipient. A celebration does not override those preferences.
4. Confirm which local date you are marking. For a birthday, use that birthday's actual year and date rather than reusing the New Year example.

Try a fictional New Year greeting

In this fictional example, a recipient in New York welcomes the New Year on 1 January 2027 at 00:00 New York time. Compare that moment with London below, checking both dates before choosing when you would personally reach out.

Choose a moment that feels considerate

1. Open the dated example with its button to inspect the exact moment in Time. Return to now if you simply want to check the person's clock today.
2. For a birthday or another year, explore the real celebration date. Local input follows the profile's own timezone; switch it to the recipient's zone before entering their midnight.
3. Read both full dates, then move to an agreed waking hour if midnight would interrupt sleep. Compare manual contact ranges if you are arranging a family call.
4. Contact the recipient yourself at the chosen moment. Share a temporary read-only comparison with other relatives, or explicitly save a profile to reuse the people and photos.

Recheck the date before you reach out

Travel can change where someone celebrates. Confirm their current city and repeat the comparison for the actual date; a remembered offset from a previous birthday may no longer apply.

Saved favorites stay in this browser and can work offline after caching. Optional Google Drive sync can carry your chosen setup between connected devices, but you still decide when to contact someone.