Add a Date and Time Stamp to Photos on Your Android Phone

You can add a date and time stamp to an Android photo in two ways: turn on a watermark in a camera app that supports it, or add text to a photo after taking it. The first method can stamp new pictures automatically; the second works for existing pictures. Android does not have one universal camera setting, and a photo’s saved date metadata is different from text printed visibly on the image.

Stamp new photos automatically with your camera

Check the Camera app that came with your phone before installing another app. Search its settings for Watermark, Date stamp, or a similar option. The menu and availability depend on the phone model and software version.

1. On supported Samsung Galaxy phones: Open Camera, tap Settings, and choose Watermark. Turn it on, then enable Date and time. Samsung also lets you adjust the watermark text, font, and alignment. See Samsung’s Galaxy Camera watermark instructions.
2. On supported Xiaomi phones: Open Camera settings, tap Watermark, and enable Add timestamp on photos. Some models expose Watermark from a shortcut in the camera view, and Xiaomi notes that the option is not available on every model. Check Xiaomi’s watermark instructions for its current menu guidance.
3. Return to the camera and take a test photo. Open it in Gallery or Photos to confirm that the stamp is readable and in the position you want. Check your phone’s date, time, and time zone first; an incorrect clock produces an incorrect stamp.

A camera watermark is part of the image pixels, so it will remain visible when you share or print the photo. It usually applies only to pictures taken after you enable it. Samsung says its applied watermark cannot be removed from the photo, so take a test shot first and keep an unstamped original if you may need one. If you cannot find a watermark setting, your phone may not offer it in its stock camera.

Add a visible date to an existing photo in Google Photos

Google Photos’ Markup tool can place text on a photo. Use this method when the picture is already in your library or your camera app has no timestamp option:

1. Open the photo in Google Photos and tap Edit.
2. Tap Markup. If it is not shown on the first screen, open Tools, then Markup.
3. Tap Text, enter the date and time you want displayed, and adjust the text style. Touch and hold the text box to move it somewhere that does not cover the subject.
4. Tap the check mark, then choose Save as copy to keep the original unchanged.

Google’s Google Photos editing guide documents Markup, text placement, and the option to save a copy. Tool availability and labels can vary by device or app version. If Markup or Text is missing, update Google Photos or use an image editor already available on your phone.

For an accurate caption, check the recorded capture time before typing. In Google Photos, open the image and tap More > About, or swipe up, to view its date and time. Photos also lets you edit the date and time for backed-up images in that panel. That changes the time Photos displays for organization; it does not itself add visible text to the picture, and Google notes that a shared or downloaded photo may still show the original camera time.

Which method should you use?

• Choose the camera watermark if you want future photos stamped automatically and your phone supports the feature.
• Choose Google Photos Markup if you need to stamp an older picture or want to control the wording and placement manually.
• Use metadata only if your goal is sorting or viewing a photo’s recorded time in an app. Metadata is not visible to someone looking at the image itself.

Common questions

Can I add the date without installing another app?

Often, yes. Some Samsung and Xiaomi camera apps have a built-in timestamp option, and Google Photos can add text to existing images. Other Android camera apps may not have either feature, so check the tools available on your device.

Does a timestamp prove when a photo was taken?

No. A phone clock can be set incorrectly, and both photo metadata and visible text can be changed. Treat a stamp as a convenient label, not tamper-proof evidence.

Can I remove the stamp later?

When editing an existing image, save a copy so the original stays intact. A camera watermark is baked into the captured image; whether you can restore an original depends on the phone and Gallery app, so do not rely on being able to erase it later.