fix(web,mobile): message timestamps follow a system time zone change

apps/mobile/src/features/threads/ThreadFeed.tsx

@@ -294,16 +294,21 @@ const WIDE_MARKDOWN_BLOCK_OPTIONS = {
   includeOrderedLists: Platform.OS === "android",
 } as const;
 
+// A formatter keeps the default zone it was built in, so it runs in UTC on the wall-clock
+// time, which Date reads from the current zone.
 const MESSAGE_TIME_FORMATTER = new Intl.DateTimeFormat(undefined, {
   hour: "numeric",
   minute: "2-digit",
+  timeZone: "UTC",
 });
 function formatMessageTime(input: string): string {
   const timestamp = Date.parse(input);
   if (Number.isNaN(timestamp)) {
     return "";
   }
-  return MESSAGE_TIME_FORMATTER.format(timestamp);
+  return MESSAGE_TIME_FORMATTER.format(
+    timestamp - new Date(timestamp).getTimezoneOffset() * 60_000,
+  );
 }
 
 const TURN_FOLD_HEIGHT = 42;

apps/web/src/timestampFormat.test.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,22 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vite-plus/test";
 
-import { formatDayAwareTimestamp, formatUpcomingTimestamp } from "./timestampFormat";
+import {
+  formatChatTimestampTooltip,
+  formatDayAwareTimestamp,
+  formatUpcomingTimestamp,
+} from "./timestampFormat";
+
+// Node re-resolves the default zone when TZ is assigned, like a renderer after the OS zone changes.
+function useTimeZone(timeZone: string): Disposable {
+  const previous = process.env.TZ;
+  process.env.TZ = timeZone;
+  return {
+    [Symbol.dispose]: () => {
+      if (previous === undefined) delete process.env.TZ;
+      else process.env.TZ = previous;
+    },
+  };
+}
 
 describe("timestamps in an explicit time zone", () => {
   // 23:00 UTC on July 1 is 7 PM on July 1 in New York, whatever the host zone.
@@ -19,3 +35,54 @@ describe("timestamps in an explicit time zone", () => {
     );
   });
 });
+
+describe("timestamps after the system time zone changes", () => {
+  // Built fresh with an explicit zone, so expectations follow the host locale but not a stale zone.
+  const timeIn = (iso: string, timeZone: string) =>
+    new Intl.DateTimeFormat(undefined, {
+      hour: "numeric",
+      minute: "2-digit",
+      hour12: true,
+      timeZone,
+    }).format(new Date(iso));
+  const dayIn = (iso: string, timeZone: string) =>
+    new Intl.DateTimeFormat(undefined, { month: "numeric", day: "numeric", timeZone }).format(
+      new Date(iso),
+    );
+
+  it("renders the gutter label in the new zone", () => {
+    const sameDay = "2026-11-07T04:45:43.877Z";
+    const earlierInWeek = "2026-11-04T20:00:00.000Z";
+    const now = Date.parse(sameDay);
+    using _zone = useTimeZone("America/New_York");
+    expect([
+      formatDayAwareTimestamp(sameDay, "12-hour", now),
+      formatDayAwareTimestamp(earlierInWeek, "12-hour", now),
+    ]).toEqual([
+      timeIn(sameDay, "America/New_York"),
+      `${dayIn(earlierInWeek, "America/New_York")} ${timeIn(earlierInWeek, "America/New_York")}`,
+    ]);
+
+    process.env.TZ = "Asia/Bangkok";
+    expect([
+      formatDayAwareTimestamp(sameDay, "12-hour", now),
+      formatDayAwareTimestamp(earlierInWeek, "12-hour", now),
+    ]).toEqual([
+      timeIn(sameDay, "Asia/Bangkok"),
+      `${dayIn(earlierInWeek, "Asia/Bangkok")} ${timeIn(earlierInWeek, "Asia/Bangkok")}`,
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("renders the tooltip in the new zone", () => {
+    const monthEnd = "2026-10-31T20:00:00.000Z";
+    using _zone = useTimeZone("America/New_York");
+    expect(formatChatTimestampTooltip(monthEnd, "12-hour")).toBe(
+      `${timeIn(monthEnd, "America/New_York")}, 31st October 2026`,
+    );
+
+    process.env.TZ = "Asia/Bangkok";
+    expect(formatChatTimestampTooltip(monthEnd, "12-hour")).toBe(
+      `${timeIn(monthEnd, "Asia/Bangkok")}, 1st November 2026`,
+    );
+  });
+});

apps/web/src/timestampFormat.ts

@@ -68,27 +68,39 @@ function resolveWeekStartsOn(locale: string | undefined): WeekdayIndex | undefin
 
 export const weekStartsOn = resolveWeekStartsOn(timestampLocale);
 
+// A formatter keeps the default zone it was built in, so default-zone formatters run in UTC
+// on the wall-clock time, which Date reads from the current zone.
+function wallClockAsUtc(date: Date): Date {
+  return new Date(date.getTime() - date.getTimezoneOffset() * 60_000);
+}
+
 const timestampFormatterCache = new Map<string, Intl.DateTimeFormat>();
 
 function getTimestampFormatter(
   timestampFormat: TimestampFormat,
   includeSeconds: boolean,
-  timeZone?: string,
+  timeZone = "UTC",
 ): Intl.DateTimeFormat {
-  const cacheKey = `${timestampFormat}:${includeSeconds ? "seconds" : "minutes"}:${timeZone ?? ""}`;
+  const cacheKey = `${timestampFormat}:${includeSeconds ? "seconds" : "minutes"}:${timeZone}`;
   const cachedFormatter = timestampFormatterCache.get(cacheKey);
   if (cachedFormatter) {
     return cachedFormatter;
   }
 
   const formatter = new Intl.DateTimeFormat(timestampLocale, {
     ...getTimestampFormatOptions(timestampFormat, includeSeconds),
-    ...(timeZone ? { timeZone } : {}),
+    timeZone,
   });
   timestampFormatterCache.set(cacheKey, formatter);
   return formatter;
 }
 
+function formatTime(date: Date, timestampFormat: TimestampFormat, timeZone?: string): string {
+  return timeZone
+    ? getTimestampFormatter(timestampFormat, false, timeZone).format(date)
+    : getTimestampFormatter(timestampFormat, false).format(wallClockAsUtc(date));
+}
+
 export function resolveHour12(timestampFormat: TimestampFormat): boolean {
   return getTimestampFormatter(timestampFormat, false).resolvedOptions().hour12 ?? false;
 }
@@ -101,7 +113,7 @@ export function parseTimestampDate(isoDate: string): Date | null {
 // Deliberately not the host locale: the tooltip's ordinal suffix and
 // day-before-month order below are English, so a localized month alone would
 // read "4th Juni 2026".
-const monthNameFormatter = new Intl.DateTimeFormat("en-US", { month: "long" });
+const monthNameFormatter = new Intl.DateTimeFormat("en-US", { month: "long", timeZone: "UTC" });
 
 function ordinalSuffix(day: number): string {
   const lastTwo = day % 100;
@@ -124,29 +136,32 @@ export function formatChatTimestampTooltip(
 ): string {
   const date = parseTimestampDate(isoDate);
   if (!date) return "";
-  const time = formatShortTimestamp(isoDate, timestampFormat);
+  const time = formatTime(date, timestampFormat);
   const day = date.getDate();
-  const month = monthNameFormatter.format(date);
+  const month = monthNameFormatter.format(wallClockAsUtc(date));
   const year = date.getFullYear();
   return `${time}, ${day}${ordinalSuffix(day)} ${month} ${year}`;
 }
 
 export function formatShortTimestamp(isoDate: string, timestampFormat: TimestampFormat): string {
   const date = parseTimestampDate(isoDate);
   if (!date) return "";
-  return getTimestampFormatter(timestampFormat, false).format(date);
+  return formatTime(date, timestampFormat);
 }
 
 const numericDateOptions: Intl.DateTimeFormatOptions = { month: "numeric", day: "numeric" };
 const numericDateWithYearOptions: Intl.DateTimeFormatOptions = {
   ...numericDateOptions,
   year: "numeric",
 };
-const numericDateFormatter = new Intl.DateTimeFormat(timestampLocale, numericDateOptions);
-const numericDateWithYearFormatter = new Intl.DateTimeFormat(
-  timestampLocale,
-  numericDateWithYearOptions,
-);
+const numericDateFormatter = new Intl.DateTimeFormat(timestampLocale, {
+  ...numericDateOptions,
+  timeZone: "UTC",
+});
+const numericDateWithYearFormatter = new Intl.DateTimeFormat(timestampLocale, {
+  ...numericDateWithYearOptions,
+  timeZone: "UTC",
+});
 
 interface CalendarDay {
   year: number;
@@ -173,7 +188,9 @@ function calendarDay(date: Date, timeZone: string | undefined): CalendarDay {
 
 function formatNumericDate(date: Date, sameYear: boolean, timeZone: string | undefined): string {
   if (!timeZone) {
-    return (sameYear ? numericDateFormatter : numericDateWithYearFormatter).format(date);
+    return (sameYear ? numericDateFormatter : numericDateWithYearFormatter).format(
+      wallClockAsUtc(date),
+    );
   }
   return new Intl.DateTimeFormat(timestampLocale, {
     ...(sameYear ? numericDateOptions : numericDateWithYearOptions),
@@ -189,7 +206,7 @@ export function formatDayAwareTimestamp(
 ): string {
   const date = parseTimestampDate(isoDate);
   if (!date) return "";
-  const time = getTimestampFormatter(timestampFormat, false, timeZone).format(date);
+  const time = formatTime(date, timestampFormat, timeZone);
 
   const today = calendarDay(new Date(nowMs), timeZone);
   const messageDay = calendarDay(date, timeZone);
@@ -200,7 +217,7 @@ export function formatDayAwareTimestamp(
   return `${formatNumericDate(date, messageDay.year === today.year, timeZone)} ${time}`;
 }
 
-/** `timeZone` overrides the zone the formatters cached when they were built. */
+/** `timeZone` overrides the system's current zone. */
 export function formatUpcomingTimestamp(
   isoDate: string,
   timestampFormat: TimestampFormat,
@@ -209,7 +226,7 @@ export function formatUpcomingTimestamp(
 ): string {
   const date = parseTimestampDate(isoDate);
   if (!date) return "";
-  const time = getTimestampFormatter(timestampFormat, false, timeZone).format(date);
+  const time = formatTime(date, timestampFormat, timeZone);
 
   const today = calendarDay(new Date(nowMs), timeZone);
   const targetDay = calendarDay(date, timeZone);