Someone who's old eyes can easily read it.
They are unlikely to be fake, probably just very stale.
but it hasn’t had any software updates in a few years
Switch over as soon as possible, your tablet could be compromised. I would say that if it has not received security updates in years then it almost certainly is. Article.
I know moving files can be annoying, but having a device with a common operating system that is years behind in security updates is cataclysmically insecure. And it would probably fix the flash-banging, either by getting rid of the malware or some other fix.
Drop-kick-pick.
So your tablet is the weakling...
In all seriousness, may your issue be of the "Resolves itself for no apparent reason one day" kind and not the "A chip is slowly dying and bringing the rest of the device with it" kind.
Just wait a minute, your clock will then look for the time wrong.