Time zone for Google sheet when prototype is shared

[Kirk_Masden]

I have an app that I have published as a free prototype and that I have my students copy and use to study English. One problem I have found is that, even though the Google spreadsheet that is attached to the prototype is set for Japan time, when the app gets copied the students wind up with a sheet that is set to Seattle time.

AppSheet has a locale setting but the documentation only talks about how it affects date formats, not time zones:

help.appsheet.com

Locales: Diving Deeper

Learn how to ensure that your data makes sense for your locale.

On Google Sheets, a distinction is made between locale and time zone.

If possible, I would like the Google sheets to be copied without the time zone being changed to Seattle time. I’m hesitant to change the locale setting on AppSheet because I’m not sure if that might not mess up my app, which works properly with US date formats as long as the time zone is set to Japan.

By the way, the app records dates and times according to the user’s device. The problem I’m having is that I need to use a “now()” formula in the spreadsheet. For that reason, if the user’s device is in Japan and the sheet is set to Seattle time, the app produces non-sensical results.