Ladakh Tourists Shocked As Mobile Phones Catch Chinese Network Near LAC, Video Goes Viral (WATCH)

A group of bikers in Ladakh, India, experienced their iPhones automatically switching to China Standard Time. This phenomenon occurred due to strong Chinese telecom signals near the Line of Actual Control overriding Indian networks, a result of the phones' automatic time zone settings. 

While riding a motorbike in the breathtaking Ladakh area, a group of domestic visitors noticed an odd phenomenon: their iPhones automatically switched to a time zone that is not part of the Indian Territory. In particular, their phones automatically changed their clocks to China Standard Time (CST) when they were travelling across a valley that is definitely under Indian control.

On all of the main social media networks, a video of the event has gone viral. The motorbike riders are shown in the video flaunting their phones to onlookers while parked next to a mountain pass. One of the shocked riders remarks, "We are standing here right in India, but suddenly the time zones on our mobile phones have changed to CST."

Given that CST is **two hours and thirty minutes ahead of Indian Standard Time (IST), this situation was quite confusing.

How Did Date and Time Settings Changed Automatically?

The rapid shift in the time setting of their cell phones piqued the riders' curiosity as to what caused the unexpected incident.

The problem is caused by the default 'Automatic Date and Time Zone' setting present on all mobile phones. By enabling this capability, customers receive an automated position fix based on their proximity to the nearest cell base stations, as well as immediate local time zone updates. Because many of the locations in Ladakh's tourism circuit are very close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the high-frequency signal from China's newly developed telecoms infrastructure interfered with local airwaves, causing the bikes' roaming-enabled phones to override national signals.

Watch Viral Video

अपने ही देश के लद्दाख में घूम रहे भारतीय बाइक राइडर का मोबाइल टाइम जोन ऑटोमैटिक चीन के टाइम में बदल जा रहा है। 

क्या ये भी नेहरू की गलती है? pic.twitter.com/t8hYWiGi3H

— Einstein Yadav (@EinstYdv) June 17, 2026

While tech specialists are confident the phenomenon falls under normal international roaming interference, the incident has stirred up heated geopolitical debates on the internet.