Many WhatsApp users have noticed that when they look at the timestamp of old messages in chat history, the date shown is 1 January 1970. This strange quirk has led to confusion, with people wondering why their messages are being dated to over 50 years ago. In this article, we’ll examine the reasons behind WhatsApp’s use of the 1 January 1970 timestamp and what it actually signifies.
The Unix Epoch
The date 1 January 1970 that WhatsApp uses as a timestamp is closely tied to the Unix epoch. The Unix epoch is the reference point that many operating systems and programming languages use to represent time. In the Unix epoch, time is measured as the number of seconds that have passed since 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970. This point in time is referred to as “Unix time zero” and represents 0 seconds since the epoch.
For example, if a file was created at 10:00 am UTC on 1 January 1970, then its Unix timestamp would be 36,000 seconds (10 hours x 60 minutes x 60 seconds). Any time after 1 January 1970 is represented as a positive number of seconds from the epoch, while any time before 1970 is represented by a negative number of seconds.
The Unix epoch is widely used in computing because it provides a standardized way to handle timestamps and date calculations across different systems. The reference point of 1 January 1970 was originally chosen because it represented a clean starting point for time that preceded the creation of Unix and the internet.
WhatsApp and the Unix Epoch
When WhatsApp displays a timestamp of 1 January 1970, it simply means that no valid date information was available for that message. The app defaults to using the Unix epoch as a placeholder value.
Some common reasons why WhatsApp may show the 1970 date include:
- The message is very old and the original send date is not available
- The message’s metadata became corrupted
- The message was imported from another device and lost its timestamp in the process
- A WhatsApp database rebuild occurred and timestamps were reset
So in summary, the 1 January 1970 timestamp does not actually mean the message was sent on that date – it just indicates missing data. WhatsApp uses the Unix epoch for undefined dates because it is a recognizable placeholder that is handled appropriately in software calculations.
Examples of the 1970 Date in WhatsApp
Here are some examples of when the 1 January 1970 date may appear in WhatsApp:
- Viewing very old chat history from years ago
- Looking at messages that were backed up from another phone
- Checking media files that were sent a long time ago
- Viewing a newly imported chat history where timestamps did not transfer
In these cases, WhatsApp does not have the accurate send date for those old messages, so it displays the epoch placeholder value instead. The actual send date of the messages is unknown.
Does the 1970 Date Indicate a Problem?
The appearance of 1 January 1970 in WhatsApp timestamps does not necessarily indicate there is a problem. It is simply the app’s way of handling missing date data. However, there are some cases where it could point to an issue:
- If recently sent messages start showing the 1970 date, it could signifying a local database issue
- If it occurs after importing chat history from another device, it may indicate the transfer process encountered problems
- Seeing the default date on many consecutive messages often means metadata was lost or corrupted
So while the 1970 timestamp itself is not a problem, it could be a symptom of another issue in rare cases. Some troubleshooting steps include:
- Check if your device’s date/time settings are correct
- Restart your phone and WhatsApp to clear any glitches
- Re-import chat history or restore from backup if needed
- Contact WhatsApp support if the issue persists
Will Old Messages Always Show 1 January 1970?
For very old WhatsApp messages where the original send date information has been lost, then yes, the timestamp is likely to remain stuck at 1 January 1970 indefinitely. This occurs because there is simply no way for WhatsApp to recover the correct historical date for those messages.
However, for newer messages, the correct date should return once any temporary glitches are resolved. For example, if you see the placeholder date on messages from last week after a restore from backup, they should revert to showing the proper dates after some time.
In summary:
- Very old messages can be permanently stuck at 1 January 1970 if the date is missing
- Newer messages may temporarily show the epoch but typically revert back to actual send dates
Can You Change the Timestamps Back to the Original Dates?
Unfortunately, there is no way to manually change the timestamp displayed in WhatsApp when it shows 1 January 1970. The date value comes from the message metadata, which users do not have the ability to edit directly.
If the original send date information has been lost or corrupted, there is no way for WhatsApp to recover it. The best option is to restore chat history from backup or export/import messages to another device in hopes that the valid dates return. But for very old messages, the proper timestamps are often lost permanently.
Some users have suggested workarounds like changing your phone’s date settings, but this does not actually modify the WhatsApp message dates stored in their database. The only solution is restoring message data from another source where the dates have been preserved.
How Are Message Dates and Timestamps Stored in WhatsApp?
WhatsApp stores details like the send dates and timestamps of messages in its local database on each user’s device. This allows you to view chat history even when offline.
Some key points about how WhatsApp handles message dates:
- Dates are stored in Unix timestamp format as the number of seconds since 1 January 1970.
- Times are synchronized against each device’s local clock and time zone.
- Metadata like dates can be rebuilt from a backup if corrupted or lost.
- WhatsApp cannot recover very old timestamp data if it is missing.
This system allows WhatsApp to display message dates and even specify if a message was sent “Today”, “Yesterday”, “Last week”, etc based on timestamp comparisons. But it means date info can be lost in backups or transfers.
WhatsApp Database
The WhatsApp database is an SQLite database file stored locally on each user’s device. It contains several tables that hold information like:
- User profiles
- Contacts
- Group data
- Media files
- Messages
In the messages table, details like the sending and receiving timestamp are stored for each chat message. But these can be overwritten or lost in some situations.
Backups
WhatsApp backups can help restore dates if they become corrupted on a device. Backups are created automatically from the local WhatsApp database and store your most recent messages and metadata.
However, very old messages may still lose their timestamps if the backups no longer contain the original date information.
The Bottom Line
To summarize, the key points to understand about WhatsApp’s use of the 1 January 1970 timestamp are:
- It represents the Unix epoch reference date used as a placeholder when no valid date is available.
- Seeing 1970 only means the original send date for that message is missing.
- For old messages, the proper timestamps may be lost permanently.
- It is not directly user-editable, but may resolve if message data is restored from backup.
So while the appearance of 1 January 1970 may seem strange, it is simply WhatsApp’s way of handling missing message dates. In most cases it is harmless, but if it happens to recent messages, it could indicate an underlying issue.