diff --git a/core-time/src/main/kotlin/de/jeanlucmakiola/floret/time/DateTimeFormat.kt b/core-time/src/main/kotlin/de/jeanlucmakiola/floret/time/DateTimeFormat.kt
index 3c10bf3..bb5367a 100644
--- a/core-time/src/main/kotlin/de/jeanlucmakiola/floret/time/DateTimeFormat.kt
+++ b/core-time/src/main/kotlin/de/jeanlucmakiola/floret/time/DateTimeFormat.kt
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package de.jeanlucmakiola.floret.time
 import java.time.LocalDate
 import java.time.LocalTime
 import java.time.ZoneId
+import java.time.ZoneOffset
 import java.time.chrono.IsoChronology
 import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter
 import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatterBuilder
@@ -22,15 +23,28 @@ private fun Instant.atSystemZone() =
     java.time.Instant.ofEpochMilli(toEpochMilliseconds())
         .atZone(ZoneId.systemDefault())
 
+/**
+ * The zone an instant should be read in to recover the date it denotes.
+ *
+ * All-day items are date-only in iCalendar and are stored as **UTC midnight** of
+ * their calendar date (the convention the tasks/calendar providers read back).
+ * Rendering one in the device zone shows the previous day for anyone west of
+ * UTC — so all-day values resolve against UTC, timed values against the device.
+ */
+private fun Instant.atDisplayZone(allDay: Boolean) =
+    if (allDay) java.time.Instant.ofEpochMilli(toEpochMilliseconds()).atZone(ZoneOffset.UTC)
+    else atSystemZone()
+
 /** Medium localized date, e.g. "18 Jun 2026". */
-fun Instant.formatDate(): String = atSystemZone().format(dateFormatter)
+fun Instant.formatDate(allDay: Boolean = false): String =
+    atDisplayZone(allDay).format(dateFormatter)
 
 /** Short localized time, e.g. "14:30". */
 fun Instant.formatTime(): String = atSystemZone().format(timeFormatter)
 
 /** Date alone for all-day items, otherwise date + time. */
 fun Instant.formatDateTime(allDay: Boolean): String =
-    if (allDay) formatDate() else "${formatDate()} · ${formatTime()}"
+    if (allDay) formatDate(allDay = true) else "${formatDate()} · ${formatTime()}"
 
 // The locale's medium date pattern with the year token stripped, e.g. "20 Jun" /
 // "Jun 20" — derived from the pattern so day/month order still follows the locale.
@@ -49,10 +63,10 @@ private val dateNoYearFormatter: DateTimeFormatter = run {
  * items, or a midnight time). Examples: "20 Jun", "20 Jun · 14:30", "20 Jun 2027".
  */
 fun Instant.formatDateTimeCompact(allDay: Boolean): String {
-    val zdt = atSystemZone()
+    val zdt = atDisplayZone(allDay)
     val datePart =
         if (zdt.year == LocalDate.now(ZoneId.systemDefault()).year) zdt.format(dateNoYearFormatter)
-        else formatDate()
+        else formatDate(allDay)
     return if (allDay || zdt.toLocalTime() == LocalTime.MIDNIGHT) datePart
     else "$datePart · ${formatTime()}"
 }
diff --git a/core-time/src/test/kotlin/de/jeanlucmakiola/floret/time/DateTimeFormatTest.kt b/core-time/src/test/kotlin/de/jeanlucmakiola/floret/time/DateTimeFormatTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e9cbf62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core-time/src/test/kotlin/de/jeanlucmakiola/floret/time/DateTimeFormatTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+package de.jeanlucmakiola.floret.time
+
+import com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertThat
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test
+import java.time.LocalDate
+import java.time.ZoneOffset
+import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter
+import java.time.format.FormatStyle
+import java.util.TimeZone
+import kotlin.time.Instant
+
+class DateTimeFormatTest {
+
+    private val originalZone: TimeZone = TimeZone.getDefault()
+
+    @AfterEach
+    fun restoreZone() = TimeZone.setDefault(originalZone)
+
+    private val july20: LocalDate = LocalDate.of(2026, 7, 20)
+
+    /** The all-day storage form: UTC midnight of the calendar date. */
+    private val allDayJuly20: Instant = Instant.fromEpochMilliseconds(
+        july20.atStartOfDay(ZoneOffset.UTC).toInstant().toEpochMilli(),
+    )
+
+    /** What the locale renders for a given date — so the test doesn't pin a format. */
+    private fun medium(date: LocalDate): String =
+        date.format(DateTimeFormatter.ofLocalizedDate(FormatStyle.MEDIUM))
+
+    @Test
+    fun `an all-day date reads the same whatever the device zone`() {
+        TimeZone.setDefault(TimeZone.getTimeZone("America/New_York")) // UTC-4 in July
+        assertThat(allDayJuly20.formatDate(allDay = true)).isEqualTo(medium(july20))
+
+        TimeZone.setDefault(TimeZone.getTimeZone("Europe/Berlin")) // UTC+2 in July
+        assertThat(allDayJuly20.formatDate(allDay = true)).isEqualTo(medium(july20))
+
+        TimeZone.setDefault(TimeZone.getTimeZone("Pacific/Auckland")) // UTC+12
+        assertThat(allDayJuly20.formatDate(allDay = true)).isEqualTo(medium(july20))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `reading an all-day value as timed slips a day west of UTC`() {
+        // Guards the regression directly: this is what the all-day flag prevents.
+        TimeZone.setDefault(TimeZone.getTimeZone("America/New_York"))
+        assertThat(allDayJuly20.formatDate()).isEqualTo(medium(july20.minusDays(1)))
+        assertThat(allDayJuly20.formatDate(allDay = true)).isEqualTo(medium(july20))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `timed values still render in the device zone`() {
+        // 2026-07-20T23:30Z — the next day already, in Auckland.
+        val lateUtc = Instant.fromEpochMilliseconds(
+            july20.atTime(23, 30).atZone(ZoneOffset.UTC).toInstant().toEpochMilli(),
+        )
+        TimeZone.setDefault(TimeZone.getTimeZone("Pacific/Auckland"))
+        assertThat(lateUtc.formatDate()).isEqualTo(medium(july20.plusDays(1)))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `formatDateTime drops the time for all-day and keeps it otherwise`() {
+        TimeZone.setDefault(TimeZone.getTimeZone("Europe/Berlin"))
+        assertThat(allDayJuly20.formatDateTime(allDay = true)).isEqualTo(medium(july20))
+        assertThat(allDayJuly20.formatDateTime(allDay = false)).contains("·")
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `compact form is zone-correct for all-day too`() {
+        TimeZone.setDefault(TimeZone.getTimeZone("America/New_York"))
+        val compact = allDayJuly20.formatDateTimeCompact(allDay = true)
+        // No time part, and the day must not have slipped to the 19th.
+        assertThat(compact).doesNotContain("·")
+        assertThat(compact).contains("20")
+    }
+}