For years now, smartphones have been clever enough to adjust the time when we change time zones. So, when you get off that plane, say, you know what time it is. Now, it looks like Google will make it easier to keep track of time during the journey, too.
Google is developing a cool new time zone app feature.
Getting there is half the fun, the advertising for Cunard’s transatlantic ships used to say. But if you’re flying on a plane with wi-fi, it’s easy to get muddled on the way.
“Using location data derived from your phone’s mobile network, Wi-Fi, or GPS, your phone can even automatically adjust the time when you enter a new time zone. Sometimes, though, you may want a heads up when your phone’s time zone has been automatically updated, which is why Google is working on a new feature for Android 16 that does just that,” Mishaal Rahman explains for Android Authority.
The information has been gleaned by digging through a beta version of the next Android operating system and seems to come up as an Automatic time zone option under Date & Time in System Settings.
Flights that cross time zones can leave passengers confused as to what time it is, what time it is at home and how long you’ve been flying for. Or is that just me?
Worse, if you haven’t paid for the onboard wi-fi connection and somewhere along the way your phone has miraculously picked up a second of connectivity and flipped your phone’s time without telling you, it can leave you even more befuddled.
With this system, your phone will automatically send you a notification that tells you your time zone changed and which time zone you’re now in. It’s a small, but potentially very helpful change, and it’s one that Apple doesn’t currently match for the iPhone.
I’m looking forward to trying this, especially when flying over those weird time zones like Newfoundland Time Zone which, unlike most others, isn’t an exact hour change from its neighbor: it’s 3 hours 30 minutes behind UTC, or 1 hour 30 minutes ahead of Eastern Time.
