System.currentTimeMillis() returns incorrect timestamp on Huawei

Question

The issue is that System.currentTimeMillis() returns the wrong milliseconds with different ranges of time mainly within the future sometimes up to 6 months, but it varies from a few seconds to months.

The device that this is occurring on is a Tablet model Huawei M2-A201W on android 5.1.1 the kernel version is: **3.10.74-gdbd9055**

My first assumption was that the NTP was somehow messing up with the time but I have thousands of those tablets and some of them have no network connection, no SIM card so no GSM/3G/4G.

Im using the System.currentTimeMillis() to save in a column for a table for when was a row created in the local sqlite database.

This anomally happens very often(30% of each System.currentTimeMillis() call) on the tablets that I use.

Answer 1

As a workaround for using System.currentTimeMillis(), maybe you can let sqlite handle the timestamp creation and see if that solves your problem?

Define/Alter your "created"-column with timestamp default current_timestamp or with default(strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f', 'now')) if you need milliseconds as well, like this:

sqlite> create table my_table(id integer primary key autoincrement not null, name text, created timestamp default(strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f', 'now')) not null);

sqlite> insert into my_table(name) values ('MyTestRow1');
sqlite> insert into my_table(name) values ('MyTestRow2');

sqlite> select * from my_table;

1|MyTestRow1|2017-08-07 10:08:50.898
2|MyTestRow2|2017-08-07 10:08:54.701

Answer 2

When you don't have SIM card so no GSM/3G/4G, your phone can't update correct time based on the network provided time/zone.

So, devices with the network show the correct time, while other devices without the network can show incorrect time -- you have to manually set the correct time. System.currentTimeMilis() reads the time from your system. g But on power turn, the clock works.

Check if NTP (UDP port 123) is blocked by apps using Socket or DatagramSocket. Note: NTP applies to the scenario where clocks of all hosts or routers on the network must be the same. If your device switch to two (or more) different network and gets time updated from different sources, it can fluctuate time.

Ultimately, your system time is being changed, that's why it is fluctuating. If you manually System.currentTimeMilis() after you manually disable automatic date and time, I believe, it doesn't fluctuate (no anomaly). If this is the case then your Huewai tablet doesn't have bugs.