diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/customization/src/com/android/systemui/shared/clocks/ClockRegistry.kt b/packages/SystemUI/customization/src/com/android/systemui/shared/clocks/ClockRegistry.kt
index ab36d5899739c..00c0a0b3e7b3f 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/customization/src/com/android/systemui/shared/clocks/ClockRegistry.kt
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/customization/src/com/android/systemui/shared/clocks/ClockRegistry.kt
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import kotlinx.coroutines.launch
 
 private val TAG = ClockRegistry::class.simpleName!!
 private const val DEBUG = true
+private val KEY_TIMESTAMP = "appliedTimestamp"
 
 /** ClockRegistry aggregates providers and plugins */
 open class ClockRegistry(
@@ -134,9 +135,9 @@ open class ClockRegistry(
         assertNotMainThread()
 
         try {
-            value?._applied_timestamp = System.currentTimeMillis()
-            val json = ClockSettings.serialize(value)
+            value?.metadata?.put(KEY_TIMESTAMP, System.currentTimeMillis())
 
+            val json = ClockSettings.serialize(value)
             if (handleAllUsers) {
                 Settings.Secure.putStringForUser(
                     context.contentResolver,
@@ -172,7 +173,7 @@ open class ClockRegistry(
         clockChangeListeners.forEach(func)
     }
 
-    private fun mutateSetting(mutator: (ClockSettings) -> ClockSettings) {
+    public fun mutateSetting(mutator: (ClockSettings) -> ClockSettings) {
         scope.launch(bgDispatcher) { applySettings(mutator(settings ?: ClockSettings())) }
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/plugin/src/com/android/systemui/plugins/ClockProviderPlugin.kt b/packages/SystemUI/plugin/src/com/android/systemui/plugins/ClockProviderPlugin.kt
index ab4aca569bd4a..46bae8c5c5f10 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/plugin/src/com/android/systemui/plugins/ClockProviderPlugin.kt
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/plugin/src/com/android/systemui/plugins/ClockProviderPlugin.kt
@@ -189,12 +189,13 @@ data class ClockSettings(
     val clockId: ClockId? = null,
     val seedColor: Int? = null,
 ) {
-    var _applied_timestamp: Long? = null
+    // Exclude metadata from equality checks
+    var metadata: JSONObject = JSONObject()
 
     companion object {
         private val KEY_CLOCK_ID = "clockId"
         private val KEY_SEED_COLOR = "seedColor"
-        private val KEY_TIMESTAMP = "_applied_timestamp"
+        private val KEY_METADATA = "metadata"
 
         fun serialize(setting: ClockSettings?): String {
             if (setting == null) {
@@ -204,7 +205,7 @@ data class ClockSettings(
             return JSONObject()
                 .put(KEY_CLOCK_ID, setting.clockId)
                 .put(KEY_SEED_COLOR, setting.seedColor)
-                .put(KEY_TIMESTAMP, setting._applied_timestamp)
+                .put(KEY_METADATA, setting.metadata)
                 .toString()
         }
 
@@ -216,11 +217,11 @@ data class ClockSettings(
             val json = JSONObject(jsonStr)
             val result =
                 ClockSettings(
-                    json.getString(KEY_CLOCK_ID),
+                    if (!json.isNull(KEY_CLOCK_ID)) json.getString(KEY_CLOCK_ID) else null,
                     if (!json.isNull(KEY_SEED_COLOR)) json.getInt(KEY_SEED_COLOR) else null
                 )
-            if (!json.isNull(KEY_TIMESTAMP)) {
-                result._applied_timestamp = json.getLong(KEY_TIMESTAMP)
+            if (!json.isNull(KEY_METADATA)) {
+                result.metadata = json.getJSONObject(KEY_METADATA)
             }
             return result
         }
diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/shared/clocks/ClockRegistryTest.kt b/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/shared/clocks/ClockRegistryTest.kt
index 26eff61066eec..1fdb3647fcb21 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/shared/clocks/ClockRegistryTest.kt
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/shared/clocks/ClockRegistryTest.kt
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ import junit.framework.Assert.fail
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CoroutineDispatcher
 import kotlinx.coroutines.test.StandardTestDispatcher
 import kotlinx.coroutines.test.TestScope
-import org.json.JSONException
 import org.junit.Before
 import org.junit.Rule
 import org.junit.Test
@@ -271,10 +270,14 @@ class ClockRegistryTest : SysuiTestCase() {
 
     @Test
     fun jsonDeserialization_gotExpectedObject() {
-        val expected = ClockSettings("ID", null).apply { _applied_timestamp = 500 }
+        val expected = ClockSettings("ID", null).apply {
+            metadata.put("appliedTimestamp", 500)
+        }
         val actual = ClockSettings.deserialize("""{
             "clockId":"ID",
-            "_applied_timestamp":500
+            "metadata": {
+                "appliedTimestamp":500
+            }
         }""")
         assertEquals(expected, actual)
     }
@@ -291,29 +294,32 @@ class ClockRegistryTest : SysuiTestCase() {
         val expected = ClockSettings("ID", null)
         val actual = ClockSettings.deserialize("""{
             "clockId":"ID",
-            "_applied_timestamp":null
+            "metadata":null
         }""")
         assertEquals(expected, actual)
     }
 
-    @Test(expected = JSONException::class)
-    fun jsonDeserialization_noId_threwException() {
-        val expected = ClockSettings(null, null).apply { _applied_timestamp = 500 }
-        val actual = ClockSettings.deserialize("{\"_applied_timestamp\":500}")
+    @Test
+    fun jsonDeserialization_noId_deserializedEmpty() {
+        val expected = ClockSettings(null, null).apply {
+            metadata.put("appliedTimestamp", 500)
+        }
+        val actual = ClockSettings.deserialize("{\"metadata\":{\"appliedTimestamp\":500}}")
         assertEquals(expected, actual)
     }
 
     @Test
     fun jsonSerialization_gotExpectedString() {
-        val expected = "{\"clockId\":\"ID\",\"_applied_timestamp\":500}"
-        val actual = ClockSettings.serialize(ClockSettings("ID", null)
-            .apply { _applied_timestamp = 500 })
+        val expected = "{\"clockId\":\"ID\",\"metadata\":{\"appliedTimestamp\":500}}"
+        val actual = ClockSettings.serialize(ClockSettings("ID", null).apply {
+            metadata.put("appliedTimestamp", 500)
+        })
         assertEquals(expected, actual)
     }
 
     @Test
     fun jsonSerialization_noTimestamp_gotExpectedString() {
-        val expected = "{\"clockId\":\"ID\"}"
+        val expected = "{\"clockId\":\"ID\",\"metadata\":{}}"
         val actual = ClockSettings.serialize(ClockSettings("ID", null))
         assertEquals(expected, actual)
     }