Understanding Timezones in Viraly

Viraly uses timezones to ensure your posts publish at the correct local time. Each Social Set has its own timezone setting, which applies to all scheduling, calendar displays, and time-related features within that set.

Timezone and Social Sets

In Viraly, timezone is configured at the Social Set level, not per channel or per post. This means:

• All channels within a Social Set share the same timezone
• All scheduled posts in that set use that timezone
• The calendar view displays times in that timezone
• You cannot set a different timezone for individual posts

This design keeps scheduling simple when managing multiple channels that serve the same audience.

Setting Your Timezone

When you create a new Social Set, Viraly automatically detects your local timezone and sets it as the default. You can change this during creation or at any time afterward.

During Social Set Creation

1. Create a new Social Set
2. Find the Timezone field
3. The dropdown shows your detected timezone as default
4. Search or scroll to select a different timezone
5. Complete the Social Set creation

Change Timezone from the Post Scheduler Dashboard

You can also change your social set timezone from the post scheduler calendar dashboard.

First, click on the timezone in the top right of the page above the calendar.

Then, you’ll see a popup where you can change the timezone. Click on the dropdown and select your desired timezone.

After selecting it, click Save. Now, the timezone will be active for all social profiles within your social set.

Timezone Display Format

Each timezone option shows:

• Timezone ID: The IANA identifier (e.g., “America/New_York”)
• UTC Offset: The offset from UTC (e.g., “-05:00” or “+08:00”)

Changing Your Timezone

To change the timezone for an existing Social Set:

1. Go to Account Settings → Social Sets
2. Click Edit on the Social Set you want to modify
3. Find the Timezone field
4. Search or scroll to select your new timezone
5. Click Save to apply the change

What Happens to Existing Scheduled Posts

When you change a Social Set’s timezone, Viraly automatically adjusts all future scheduled posts to maintain the same local time in the new timezone.

Example

• You have a post scheduled for 9:00 AM in America/New_York (Eastern Time)
• You change your Social Set’s timezone to Europe/London (GMT)
• The post will now be scheduled for 9:00 AM in London time

This means the post will publish at a different absolute moment — it stays at 9:00 AM on your calendar, but 9:00 AM London is 5 hours earlier than 9:00 AM New York.

Why Does Viraly Do This?

Most users schedule posts based on when their audience is active (e.g., “post at 9 AM when people check their phones”). If you change timezones — perhaps you’re now managing accounts for a client in a different region — you likely want your scheduled content to align with that new local time.

Important Considerations

• Only future scheduled posts are adjusted (posts already published are not affected)
• All posts within the Social Set are updated simultaneously
• Draft posts with scheduled times are also adjusted
• The adjustment happens immediately when you save the timezone change

If you need posts to publish at the exact same moment in time (regardless of timezone), you would need to manually adjust each post’s scheduled time after changing the timezone.

How Timezone Affects Scheduling

Your Social Set’s timezone is used throughout Viraly:

Date/Time Picker

• The date picker uses your Social Set’s timezone
• Times you select are interpreted in that timezone
• The minimum selectable time is “now” in that timezone

Calendar Display

• All posts are displayed at their scheduled time in your timezone
• Day boundaries are calculated using your timezone
• “Today” is determined by your timezone, not your browser’s local time

Post Publishing

• Posts publish at the exact time you selected in your timezone
• If you schedule for 9:00 AM in America/New_York, it publishes at 9:00 AM Eastern Time

Validation

Viraly prevents scheduling posts in the past by comparing your selected time against the current time in your Social Set’s timezone. If you select a past time, you’ll see: “Please select a future date to schedule the post.”

Timezone Display in the Post Composer

When creating or editing a post, you’ll see a timezone indicator near the date/time picker. This display shows:

• Globe icon: Visual indicator for timezone
• Timezone ID: e.g., “America/New_York”
• Current local time: The current time in that timezone, updated in real-time

Important: The timezone display in the post composer is for reference only. To change the timezone, you must edit the Social Set in Account Settings (see Changing Your Timezone above).