I was able to get the phone in a state where the time did not update because the phone was in an inconsistent state with regard to cellular data status. The indicator did not show a data connection but the pulldown did. Whenever the network indicator shows the data connection, the time was properly set on automatic.
This seems related to bug #1470900 -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1459643 Title: Automatically update time does not work on mobile network To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-system-settings/+bug/1459643/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs