Synchronized Time

The PowerAuth mobile SDK internally uses time synchronized with the PowerAuth Server for its cryptographic functions, such as End-To-End Encryption or Token-Based Authentication. The synchronized time can also be beneficial for your application. For example, if you want to display a time-sensitive message or countdown to your users, you can take advantage of this service.

Use the following code to get the service responsible for the time synchronization:

let timeService = powerAuthSDK.timeSynchronizationService

Automatic Time Synchronization

The time is synchronized automatically in the following situations:

• After an activation is created
• After getting an activation status
• After receiving any response encrypted with our End-To-End Encryption scheme

The time synchronization is reset automatically once your application transitions from the background to the foreground.

Manually Synchronize Time

Use the following code to synchronize the time manually:

let task = timeService.synchronizeTime(callback: { error in
    if error == nil {
        // Success, time has been properly synchronized
    } else {
        // Failed to synchronize the time
    }
}, callbackQueue: .main)

Get Synchronized Time

To get the synchronized time, use the following code:

if timeService.isTimeSynchronized {
    // Get synchronized timestamp
    let timestamp = timeService.currentTime()
    // If a date object is required, then use the following snippet
    let date = Date(timeIntervalSince1970: timestamp)
} else {
    // Time is not synchronized yet. If you call currentTime() then 
    // the returned timestamp is similar to Date().timeIntervalSince1970
    let timestamp = timeService.currentTime()
}

The time service provides additional information about time, such as how precisely the time is synchronized with the server:

if timeService.isTimeSynchronized {
    let precision = timeService.localTimeAdjustmentPrecision
    print("Time is synchronized with precision \(precision)")
}

The precision value represents a maximum absolute deviation of synchronized time against the actual time on the server. For example, a value 0.5 means that the time provided by the currentTime() method maybe 0.5 seconds ahead or behind the actual time on the server. If the precision is not sufficient for your purpose, for example, if you need to display a real-time countdown in your application, then try to synchronize the time manually. The precision basically depends on how quickly is the synchronization response received and processed from the server. A faster response results in higher precision.

Read Next

• Common SDK Tasks