Google-connected Lenovo Smart Clocks show the wrong time after Canada drops the clock change - Big Tech and the digital economy

Lenovo Smart Clock and Smart Clock Essential owners in several Canadian provinces report that their devices moved back by one hour even though local authorities kept daylight saving time. Google Assistant provides the correct time by voice, but the clocks' LED displays remain wrong.

Owners of Lenovo Smart Clock and Smart Clock Essential devices in Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba say their connected alarms began showing the wrong time on November 1. According to reports shared on Reddit and cited by Android Authority, the displays are one hour behind after several parts of western Canada stopped changing their clocks.

British Columbia moved its clocks forward for the final time on March 8 and will remain on daylight saving time permanently. Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories and part of northwestern Ontario also did not move back to standard time on November 1. Saskatchewan has not changed its clocks since 1966, while Yukon adopted permanent daylight saving time in 2020.

The Lenovo clocks nevertheless moved back by one hour. The issue appears limited to the LED display: when asked verbally, Google Assistant gives the correct time. Other Google Home devices, including the TV Streamer and connected displays, reportedly updated normally. A factory reset does not resolve the problem.

Google had warned on October 23 that outdated Android smartphones could incorrectly change their clocks and that some Google Calendar appointments might shift by an hour. Smaller connected devices depend on updates provided by their manufacturers. The Smart Clock Essential still runs on Google Assistant and has not been migrated to Gemini.

Some affected users have found a temporary workaround by assigning the device an address in another region with a time zone matching the actual local time. However, this can affect location-based features such as local weather information.

Similar problems were reported with connected screens after Jordan adopted permanent daylight saving time in 2022 and Mexico ended its clock changes in 2023. In those cases, corrections took several months. The situation also highlights the maintenance challenges that could arise if more regions abandon seasonal clock changes, since devices such as alarms, ovens and cars may require updated time-zone data.

In Quebec, Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has announced his intention to abolish the clock change as well. If that proposal advances, Smart Clock owners in the province could face the same display issue unless a software update becomes available.

Sources: Numerama.