diff --git a/lib/DateTime.vala b/lib/DateTime.vala
index 498423031..c45d68b9b 100644
--- a/lib/DateTime.vala
+++ b/lib/DateTime.vala
@@ -8,6 +8,12 @@
  * getting the default translated format for either date and time.
  */
 namespace Granite.DateTime {
+
+    [DBus (name = "org.freedesktop.portal.Settings")]
+    private interface FDO.Portal.Settings : Object {
+        public abstract Variant read (string @namespace, string key);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Gets a default translated time format.
      * The function constructs a new string interpreting the //is_12h// and //with_second// parameters
@@ -96,8 +102,23 @@ namespace Granite.DateTime {
      * @return true if the clock format is 12h based, false otherwise.
      */
     private static bool is_clock_format_12h () {
-        var h24_settings = new GLib.Settings ("org.gnome.desktop.interface");
-        var format = h24_settings.get_string ("clock-format");
+        string format;
+        try {
+            var settings_bus = GLib.Bus.get_proxy_sync<FDO.Portal.Settings> (
+                        GLib.BusType.SESSION,
+                       "org.freedesktop.portal.Desktop",
+                       "/org/freedesktop/portal/desktop"
+                    );
+
+            var clock_format_variant = settings_bus.read ("org.gnome.desktop.interface", "clock-format").get_variant ();
+            format = clock_format_variant.get_string ();
+        } catch (GLib.Error e) {
+            debug ("Unable to connect to desktop portal (%s), using GSettings", e.message);
+            var h24_settings = new GLib.Settings ("org.gnome.desktop.interface");
+            format = h24_settings.get_string ("clock-format");
+        }
+
+        
         return (format.contains ("12h"));
     }