Appium Concepts: Appium command-To Get device “date and time” for both iOS & Android

Method :- .getDeviceTime() & .getDeviceTime(String format)

🎥 Check Out the Video Below for Complete Details!

Lets discuss about “.getDeviceTime()” method.

.getDeviceTime() is a method provided by the Appium client libraries that returns the current date and time from the device under test. This is particularly useful for validating time-sensitive operations within a mobile app, such as:

• Checking whether time stamps are displayed correctly
• Validating scheduled actions
• Debugging issues related to system time differences

.getDeviceTime() method

Syntax:

device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime();

Return Value:

.getDeviceTime() typically returns a String that represents the current time on the device. The default format can look like:

You can also pass a format string to specify the desired date/time format (mainly in Java):

.getDeviceTime(String format) method

Syntax:

//Get Device Date in required format
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("YYYY");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Date(formatted) YYYY - "+device_datetime);  
    
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("YY");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Date(formatted) YY- "+device_datetime); 
  
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("MM");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Date(formatted) MM- "+device_datetime); 
  
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("DD");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Date(formatted) DD- "+device_datetime); 
  
  
  //Get Device Time in required format
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("HH");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Time(formatted) HH - "+device_datetime);  
    
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("mm");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Time(formatted) mm- "+device_datetime); 
  
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("ss");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Time(formatted) ss- "+device_datetime); 
  
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("Z");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Time(formatted) Z(zone)- "+device_datetime);
  
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("T");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Time(formatted) T- "+device_datetime);

Output:

Note: The ability to format the time string may depend on the Appium server version and the specific client bindings.

“Complete Code: Optimized and Ready to Use”:

package com.appiumguide.appiumconcepts;

import org.testng.annotations.AfterTest;
import org.testng.annotations.BeforeTest;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;

import io.appium.java_client.android.AndroidDriver;
import io.appium.java_client.android.options.UiAutomator2Options;
import java.net.*;
import java.time.Duration;

/**
 * Script Details - Appium Concepts | Appium command-To Get device “date and time” for both iOS & Android
 * 
 * appium-java-client version: 9.3.0
 * 
 * @author 'Ramesh Kodumuru' for AppiumGuide [appiumguide@gmail.com]
 */

public class DeviceDateTimeDemo {
 
 private AndroidDriver driver;
 
 String device_datetime;
     
 @BeforeTest
 public void setup() throws MalformedURLException {
  UiAutomator2Options cap=new UiAutomator2Options();
  cap.setPlatformName("android");
  cap.setAutomationName("uiautomator2");
  cap.setDeviceName("Pixel8Pro");  
     
  driver = new AndroidDriver(new URL("http://127.0.0.1:4723"), cap);
  driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(100));
  
 }
 
 @Test
 public void test() throws InterruptedException {
  
  //Get the Device Date & Time
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime();
  System.out.println("Get the Device Date & Time - "+device_datetime);
  
  //Get Device Date in required format
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("YYYY");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Date(formatted) YYYY - "+device_datetime);  
    
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("YY");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Date(formatted) YY- "+device_datetime); 
  
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("MM");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Date(formatted) MM- "+device_datetime); 
  
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("DD");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Date(formatted) DD- "+device_datetime); 
  
  
  //Get Device Time in required format
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("HH");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Time(formatted) HH - "+device_datetime);  
    
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("mm");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Time(formatted) mm- "+device_datetime); 
  
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("ss");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Time(formatted) ss- "+device_datetime); 
  
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("Z");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Time(formatted) Z(zone)- "+device_datetime);
  
  device_datetime=driver.getDeviceTime("T");
  System.out.println("Get the Device Time(formatted) T- "+device_datetime);
  
  
 }
   
  
 @AfterTest
 public void teardown() {
  
  if(driver!=null) {
   driver.quit();
   System.out.println("Test Execution Completed");
  }
  
 }

}

Supported Platforms

• Android: ✅ Fully supported
• iOS: ✅ Fully supported (though permissions and iOS version may affect results)

Conclusion

The .getDeviceTime() method is a handy utility in Appium for retrieving a device's current time, helping ensure your mobile applications behave correctly in time-sensitive scenarios. Whether you’re debugging a bug or writing a test that depends on system time, this method provides a simple and effective way to stay in sync with your test environment.

Explore on GitHub: