diff --git a/xwords4/android/app/src/main/java/org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/DUtilCtxt.kt b/xwords4/android/app/src/main/java/org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/DUtilCtxt.kt
index 8c7a7822f..8c921bd26 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/app/src/main/java/org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/DUtilCtxt.kt
+++ b/xwords4/android/app/src/main/java/org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/DUtilCtxt.kt
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ import android.content.Context
 import android.content.Intent
 import android.os.Build
 import android.telephony.PhoneNumberUtils
+
+import kotlin.concurrent.thread
+
 import org.eehouse.android.xw4.Assert
 import org.eehouse.android.xw4.BuildConfig
 import org.eehouse.android.xw4.Channels
@@ -130,6 +133,30 @@ class DUtilCtxt {
         m_context = XWApp.getContext()
     }
 
+    private val sCleared = HashSet<Int>()
+    fun setTimer(inMS: Int, key: Int)
+    {
+        val startMS = if (BuildConfig.DEBUG) System.currentTimeMillis() else 0
+        thread {
+            Thread.sleep(inMS.toLong())
+            if (BuildConfig.DEBUG) {
+                val wakeMS = System.currentTimeMillis()
+                Log.d(TAG, "setTimer(): firing; set for $inMS, "
+                      + "took ${wakeMS - startMS}")
+            }
+
+            if (synchronized(sCleared) {sCleared.remove(key)}) {
+                XwJNI.dvc_onTimerFired(key)
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    fun clearTimer(key: Int)
+    {
+        Log.d(TAG, "clearTimer($key)")
+        synchronized(sCleared) {sCleared.add(key)}
+    }
+
     // PENDING use prefs for this
     fun getUsername(
         posn: Int,
diff --git a/xwords4/android/app/src/main/java/org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/XwJNI.kt b/xwords4/android/app/src/main/java/org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/XwJNI.kt
index bcd9b6b5b..da2022ea5 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/app/src/main/java/org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/XwJNI.kt
+++ b/xwords4/android/app/src/main/java/org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/XwJNI.kt
@@ -878,6 +878,10 @@ class XwJNI private constructor() {
             send: Boolean
         ): Boolean
 
+        fun dvc_onTimerFired(key: Int) = dvc_onTimerFired(jNI.m_ptrGlobals, key)
+        @JvmStatic
+        private external fun dvc_onTimerFired(jniState: Long, key: Int)
+
         fun smsproto_prepOutbound(
             cmd: SMS_CMD, gameID: Int, buf: ByteArray?, phone: String,
             port: Int,  /*out*/
diff --git a/xwords4/android/jni/Android.mk b/xwords4/android/jni/Android.mk
index 33d1c64bd..63e0ad516 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/jni/Android.mk
+++ b/xwords4/android/jni/Android.mk
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ LOCAL_DEFINES += \
 	-DMQTT_GAMEID_TOPICS \
 	-DGITREV=\"${GITREV}\" \
 
+LOCAL_DEFINES += -DDUTIL_TIMERS
+
 # XWFEATURE_RAISETILE: first, fix to not use timer
 #   -DXWFEATURE_RAISETILE \
 
@@ -99,6 +101,7 @@ COMMON_SRC_FILES +=        \
 	$(COMMON_PATH)/knownplyr.c  \
 	$(COMMON_PATH)/dllist.c     \
 	$(COMMON_PATH)/stats.c      \
+	$(COMMON_PATH)/timers.c     \
 	$(COMMON_PATH)/cJSON.c      \
 	$(COMMON_PATH)/cJSON_Utils.c\
 
diff --git a/xwords4/android/jni/utilwrapper.c b/xwords4/android/jni/utilwrapper.c
index 29a28553a..e02c7ed5c 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/jni/utilwrapper.c
+++ b/xwords4/android/jni/utilwrapper.c
@@ -842,6 +842,25 @@ and_dutil_md5sum( XW_DUtilCtxt* duc, XWEnv xwe, const XP_U8* ptr, XP_U32 len,
 
 }
 
+#ifdef DUTIL_TIMERS
+static void
+and_dutil_setTimer( XW_DUtilCtxt* duc, XWEnv xwe, XP_U32 when, TimerKey key )
+{
+    XP_LOGFF( "(key=%d)", key );
+    DUTIL_CBK_HEADER( "setTimer", "(II)V" );
+    (*env)->CallVoidMethod( env, dutil->jdutil, mid, when, key );
+    DUTIL_CBK_TAIL();
+}
+
+static void
+and_dutil_clearTimer( XW_DUtilCtxt* duc, XWEnv xwe, TimerKey key )
+{
+    DUTIL_CBK_HEADER( "clearTimer", "(I)V" );
+    (*env)->CallVoidMethod( env, dutil->jdutil, mid, key );
+    DUTIL_CBK_TAIL();
+}
+#endif
+
 static void
 and_dutil_getUsername( XW_DUtilCtxt* duc, XWEnv xwe, XP_U16 num,
                        XP_Bool isLocal, XP_Bool isRobot,
@@ -1125,6 +1144,11 @@ makeDUtil( MPFORMAL JNIEnv* env,
     SET_DPROC(phoneNumbersSame);
 #endif
     SET_DPROC(md5sum);
+#ifdef DUTIL_TIMERS
+    SET_DPROC(setTimer);
+    SET_DPROC(clearTimer);
+#endif
+
     SET_DPROC(getUsername);
     SET_DPROC(notifyPause);
     SET_DPROC(haveGame);
diff --git a/xwords4/android/jni/xwjni.c b/xwords4/android/jni/xwjni.c
index 00fe1bab7..650bbdfef 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/jni/xwjni.c
+++ b/xwords4/android/jni/xwjni.c
@@ -1257,6 +1257,15 @@ Java_org_eehouse_android_xw4_jni_XwJNI_sts_1increment
     DVC_HEADER_END();
 }
 
+JNIEXPORT void JNICALL
+Java_org_eehouse_android_xw4_jni_XwJNI_dvc_1onTimerFired
+( JNIEnv* env, jclass C, jlong jniGlobalPtr, jint jkey )
+{
+    DVC_HEADER(jniGlobalPtr);
+    dvc_onTimerFired( globalState->dutil, env, jkey );
+    DVC_HEADER_END();
+}
+
 /* Dictionary methods: don't use gamePtr */
 JNIEXPORT jboolean JNICALL
 Java_org_eehouse_android_xw4_jni_XwJNI_dict_1tilesAreSame
diff --git a/xwords4/common/stats.c b/xwords4/common/stats.c
index 8004e2406..783b58481 100644
--- a/xwords4/common/stats.c
+++ b/xwords4/common/stats.c
@@ -205,6 +205,8 @@ setStoreTimer( XW_DUtilCtxt* dutil, XWEnv xwe )
         XP_U32 inWhenMS = 5 * 1000;
         TimerKey key = tmr_set( dutil, xwe, inWhenMS, onStoreTimer, dutil );
         XP_LOGFF( "tmr_set() => %d", key );
+    } else {
+        XP_LOGFF( "timer already set" );
     }
 #else
     XP_USE(dutil);