auto_datetime 0.0.2

A Flutter plugin that detects whether automatic date and time is enabled on Android, iOS, and Windows.

auto_datetime

A Flutter plugin that detects whether the device has automatic date and time enabled — the system-level setting that keeps the clock synchronized via NTP or network time.

Supports Android, iOS, and Windows.

Platform behavior

Platform	Detection method	Minimum version
Android	Settings.Global.AUTO_TIME	API 16
iOS	NTP comparison + monotonic clock anchor	iOS 12.0
Windows	Registry HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters → Type=NTP	Windows 7+

Installation

Add the package to your pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
  auto_datetime: ^0.0.1

Then run:

flutter pub get

Usage

import 'package:auto_datetime/auto_datetime.dart';

final plugin = AutoDatetime();

final bool isEnabled = await plugin.isAutomaticDateTimeEnabled();
print(isEnabled ? 'Automatic time is ON' : 'Automatic time is OFF');

Platform notes

iOS

Uses a two-path strategy that works from iOS 12 with no special entitlements:

Online path — sends a UDP request to time.apple.com:123 (NTP), compares the response against the system clock. If the drift is under 60 seconds the clock is considered synchronized (automatic time on).

Offline path — on a successful NTP response the plugin saves a TimeAnchor to the Keychain:

trustedTime  = NTP response time
bootOffset   = ProcessInfo.systemUptime at capture

While offline, trusted time is reconstructed as trustedTime + (currentUptime − bootOffset) using the monotonic clock, which cannot be tampered with by changing system time. A negative elapsed value indicates a reboot and automatically invalidates the stale anchor.

No anchor + no network — returns false with a console warning.

The Keychain anchor survives app restarts and device reboots are detected automatically. No entitlements beyond standard outbound network access are required.

Minimum deployment target: iOS 12.0

Android

Reads Settings.Global.AUTO_TIME via the content resolver. No permissions are required.

Minimum SDK: API 16

Windows

Reads the Type value from the Windows Time service registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters

Returns true when Type is NTP.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.