# Chat: inconsistent time format for consecutive messages from the same user

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/chat-inconsistent-time-format-for-consecutive-messages-from-the-same-user/369516
**Category:** UX
**Tags:** chat
**Created:** [June 10, 2025, 6:30am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/chat-inconsistent-time-format-for-consecutive-messages-from-the-same-user/369516 "2025-06-10T06:30:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![scavin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/scavin/32/115938_2.png) [@scavin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/scavin)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2025, 6:30am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/chat-inconsistent-time-format-for-consecutive-messages-from-the-same-user/369516/1 "2025-06-10T06:30:30Z")

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![这张图片展示了一款应用内聊天界面，其中一位用户Qing*w于23:54发送消息询问“现在还有空位吗？没人我升个级？”，而另一个用户于00:15回复“成功了”，并且这是一个经过截图处理的图像，有两个时间戳被圈出了。 (由 AI 生成标题)](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/e/2/1/e21b2c987b345d80a0bf86ae92e0dcbc515e1e9b.jpeg)

When a single user sends multiple consecutive messages in a Discourse Chat channel, the time format displayed is inconsistent.

The timestamp next to the username on the first message uses the 24-hour format, while the timestamp on the left of subsequent messages uses the 12-hour format.

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### Author: ![sam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/sam/32/102149_2.png) [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2025, 4:24am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/chat-inconsistent-time-format-for-consecutive-messages-from-the-same-user/369516/2 "2025-06-12T04:24:46Z")

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Confirmed this feels like a UX issue, not sure what we can easily do here:

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/1/9/3/1930c62867bba3fcf91c1b62c0fa4260bc6fc101.png)

We have one format for “shorter” times and another one for longer time. In the gutter we have no room for the long format.

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### Author: ![Jagster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/jagster/32/192154_2.png) [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2025, 5:51am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/chat-inconsistent-time-format-for-consecutive-messages-from-the-same-user/369516/3 "2025-06-12T05:51:49Z")

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Room? I think that system should use 24 or 12 hour time no matter if there is space to handle short or long form. Not mixing both 12 and 24.

Or do I, again, misunderstanding the issue here?