How to coordinate an international family video call

Finding a time for a family video call can be harder than making the call. A time that works after dinner for you might be the middle of the night for someone else, or even fall on a different date.

Use the World Clock to compare local times, then agree on one date and time that everyone can understand. A little checking before you send the invitation can prevent missed calls and late-night surprises.

Find a time that works across time zones

1. Open the World Clock and select the cities where family members will join from. Compare the local times shown for those places.
2. Ask each person for a few reasonable hours, not just one exact time. For example, someone might be free between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m. local time, while another person can join between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.
3. Look for an hour that falls inside most people's available windows. If one city is three hours ahead of another, 7:00 p.m. in the earlier city is 10:00 p.m. in the later city. Check the date as well as the hour.
4. Choose the date, confirm the time in each person's city, and send an invitation that names a reference time zone. Ask everyone to reply with the local time and date they see.

If the group is spread across many time zones, there may be no perfect option. Start with the people who have the narrowest availability, such as someone with a young child's bedtime or a relative who works shifts, then find the best compromise for everyone else.

What the possible times mean

Everyone has a comfortable hour

If the candidate time is during normal waking hours for everyone, it is a strong choice. Confirm that it also works with meals, work, school, and regular routines. A time that looks convenient on a clock may still land during a commute or a family dinner.

One person would have to stay up very late

Decide whether that is occasional or likely to become the regular arrangement. For a one-time celebration, a late call may be fine if that person agrees. For a weekly call, rotate the inconvenience so the same relative is not always joining at an uncomfortable hour.

The local dates do not match

That can be normal when relatives are far apart. A call at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday in one city might be 8:00 p.m. on Monday in another. Put both dates in the invitation or group message, and state clearly which city the main time refers to.

No hour works for everyone

Try a shorter call, alternate between two time slots, or split the group into two calls. If one relative cannot join live, agree on a simple way to include them, such as sharing photos afterward or recording a greeting with their permission.

Make the invitation easy to follow

1. Name the reference city. Write something like “Saturday, 7:00 p.m. New York time.” Do not send only “7:00 p.m.” when people are in different time zones.
2. Include each person's local time. Add the converted time and date for the main cities in the family. This gives people a quick way to catch a mistaken conversion.
3. Ask everyone to confirm. A short reply such as “Sunday, 9:00 a.m. for me” confirms both the hour and the date. If someone sees a different time in a calendar invitation, resolve that before the call.
4. Send a reminder with the same details. Keep the reference city and local conversions in the reminder. Avoid changing the time in one message without updating the calendar invitation and the rest of the group.
5. Agree on a backup plan. Decide whether the group will wait a few minutes, switch to a phone call, or reschedule if the video app or someone's connection fails.

Check daylight saving time before a future call

Time differences can change during the year because some places move their clocks for daylight saving time and others do not. Places that both change clocks may also change on different dates. As a result, the difference between two cities can shift for a few weeks even if it is usually stable.

For a call weeks or months away, do not assume that today's time difference will still apply. Check the cities again close to the date, and make sure the invitation is set for the intended time zone rather than a fixed offset such as UTC minus 5. A time zone follows local clock changes; a fixed offset does not.

Keep the final message simple: state the date, the reference city and time, and each relative's local date and time.