Help 1Hr Discrepancy Between System Clock and Clock App

[hpscott]

I use the alarm clock function of the built-in clock app, and usually it works great.

Occasionally, however, the clock app gets off one hour relative to the system clock.

Notably, the system clock always seems to be right -- I don't ever see it off by the hour, so it isn't clear to me from where the clock App gets the wrong time.

I suspect this is somehow related to the fact that I live near the boundary between eastern and central time, and sometimes the problem does occur when I travel between the two. Other times, however, it happens when I haven't been traveling at all.

It's really a bummer because I don't regularly check the time on the clock app (although, clearly I should!), but I use a daily alarm, so some days it just doesn't go off.

I haven't been able to identify a specific trigger for the error.

Anyone know of a fix, other than power-cycling the phone?

Or, are there other clock apps that keep a better connection to the system clock?

 

[hpscott]

Here's a screenshot showing the clock app displaying a time of 8:04, when the system clock, which is correct, shows a time of 9:04:

Why does the clock app not update from the system clock?

(This only happens every few weeks, and a power cycle will fix it, but because I can't be sure it won't happen at night I can't rely on the alarm feature of the clock app. )

 

[AndyOpie150]

If your not rooted you can try the factory reset option in the privacy menu, but this will wipe all user data and apps.
Any paid apps will be in the "my apps" section of market. When you sign into your google account thru the market app you will get your contacts back and any other data that you synced with google.

 

[MacFett]

Have you connect it to your computer via USB? Another member was having a problem with their clock and that fixed it.

Also try pulling the battery and then holding the power button for 30 seconds or so. When the phone first boots up the time should be way off and as soon as it polls Virgin it will get the correct time. Hopefully they will sync up then. If that doesn't work then I'd do as Andy suggested and the factory reset if you are NOT ROOTED.

 

[brotherswing]

You could try this, before you need to rely on your alarms, refresh your weather. That will force the phone to update your location, and therefore your timezone. I don't know if this will work, but the theory is solid. Just trying to give you some options....

 

[Petrah]

Every time I see a thread like this, the time is always off by 1 hour almost exactly either behind or ahead. Is there perhaps a bug in the OS somewhere that handles the daylight savings time? And what would trigger this bug?

 

[Thorsten]

AndyOpie150, MacFett, buddies , did you even read the OP

 

[AndyOpie150]

Good advice indeed Thorsten.
If after trying brotherswings advice and it didn't help I would recommend MacFett's and my advice next. It won't hurt the phone and is not a drastic measure to factory reset and or pull battery-hold power button. If that doesn't fix his problem , then the OP would know he has a serious problem and would need to follow your advice and call VM.

 

[Thorsten]

[A factory reset] won't hurt the phone and is not a drastic measure

I don

 

[Thorsten]

I forgot to mention an incomplete, but perhaps possibly still somewhat useful, workaround. When I travel in Europe, I rely on https://market.android.com/details?id=net.hubalek.android.worldclock
to always see the time in the timezone I want (not the timezone the phone thinks I should see). It won

 

[AndyOpie150]

That was very usful advice and reasoning. I think the OP can now decide what to try and in what order. We have provided them with a look at all the possible approaches to solving his problem.
Thanks for the app info. Looks like I'll be going to the market and checking it out.

 

[AndyOpie150]

NoNameFace does bring up a point that the OP could discuss with VM if they decide to call.
Now that my memory is sort of working, I remember the fix that MacFett mentioned. Plugging the phone into PC with USB cable. I can't remember if they had to set there phone to USB debugging though.

 

[Petrah]

NoNameFace does bring up a point that the OP could discuss with VM if they decide to call.
Now that my memory is sort of working, I remember the fix that MacFett mentioned. Plugging the phone into PC with USB cable. I can't remember if they had to set there phone to USB debugging though.

Calling VM about this wont make a difference I don't think. If you search Google, you'll see that it's not just VM customers who have this issue. It's happening on all types of phones with all types of carriers. This is why I feel it's a bug possibly in the OS. I'm not familiar at all with the hardware, so no clue if there's some piece of hardware from one manufacturer that most phones with this issue have in common.

 

[hpscott]

I wanted to thank you all for the thoughtful replies. I don't think we've yet found a solution, but I very much appreciate your efforts. Just the fact that you took the time to take my problem seriously has reduced my frustration with the phone considerably.

I did a power cycle before receiving the suggestion to update the weather and, as always, the power cycle did indeed get the clock app back to the system time. But, next time they go out of sync I'll give the weather update a try -- that would be a less annoying nightly ritual than doing a power cycle. Although, I suppose, until I find the true source of the problem and a fix, I'll always have to worry that the hour offset will occur at night, while I'm sleeping. Ugh.

Anyway, thank you all!