diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/CompositionEngine.h b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/CompositionEngine.h
index 8661063..7c10fa5 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/CompositionEngine.h
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/CompositionEngine.h
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
     virtual renderengine::RenderEngine& getRenderEngine() const = 0;
     virtual void setRenderEngine(renderengine::RenderEngine*) = 0;
 
-    virtual TimeStats& getTimeStats() const = 0;
+    virtual TimeStats* getTimeStats() const = 0;
     virtual void setTimeStats(const std::shared_ptr<TimeStats>&) = 0;
 
     virtual bool needsAnotherUpdate() const = 0;
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/impl/CompositionEngine.h b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/impl/CompositionEngine.h
index 2af6c80..c699557 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/impl/CompositionEngine.h
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/impl/CompositionEngine.h
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
     renderengine::RenderEngine& getRenderEngine() const override;
     void setRenderEngine(renderengine::RenderEngine*) override;
 
-    TimeStats& getTimeStats() const override;
+    TimeStats* getTimeStats() const override;
     void setTimeStats(const std::shared_ptr<TimeStats>&) override;
 
     bool needsAnotherUpdate() const override;
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/mock/CompositionEngine.h b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/mock/CompositionEngine.h
index fc71649..9b2387b 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/mock/CompositionEngine.h
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/include/compositionengine/mock/CompositionEngine.h
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
     MOCK_CONST_METHOD0(getRenderEngine, renderengine::RenderEngine&());
     MOCK_METHOD1(setRenderEngine, void(renderengine::RenderEngine*));
 
-    MOCK_CONST_METHOD0(getTimeStats, TimeStats&());
+    MOCK_CONST_METHOD0(getTimeStats, TimeStats*());
     MOCK_METHOD1(setTimeStats, void(const std::shared_ptr<TimeStats>&));
 
     MOCK_CONST_METHOD0(needsAnotherUpdate, bool());
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/src/CompositionEngine.cpp b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/src/CompositionEngine.cpp
index e42f11a..15fadbc 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/src/CompositionEngine.cpp
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/src/CompositionEngine.cpp
@@ -72,8 +72,8 @@
     mRenderEngine = renderEngine;
 }
 
-TimeStats& CompositionEngine::getTimeStats() const {
-    return *mTimeStats.get();
+TimeStats* CompositionEngine::getTimeStats() const {
+    return mTimeStats.get();
 }
 
 void CompositionEngine::setTimeStats(const std::shared_ptr<TimeStats>& timeStats) {
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/src/Output.cpp b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/src/Output.cpp
index 17aefc5..c2b1f06 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/src/Output.cpp
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/src/Output.cpp
@@ -1334,10 +1334,13 @@
 
     const auto fence = std::move(fenceResult).value_or(Fence::NO_FENCE);
 
-    if (auto& timeStats = getCompositionEngine().getTimeStats(); fence->isValid()) {
-        timeStats.recordRenderEngineDuration(renderEngineStart, std::make_shared<FenceTime>(fence));
-    } else {
-        timeStats.recordRenderEngineDuration(renderEngineStart, systemTime());
+    if (auto timeStats = getCompositionEngine().getTimeStats()) {
+        if (fence->isValid()) {
+            timeStats->recordRenderEngineDuration(renderEngineStart,
+                                                  std::make_shared<FenceTime>(fence));
+        } else {
+            timeStats->recordRenderEngineDuration(renderEngineStart, systemTime());
+        }
     }
 
     for (auto* clientComposedLayer : clientCompositionLayersFE) {
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/tests/CompositionEngineTest.cpp b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/tests/CompositionEngineTest.cpp
index 8d99f89..60ed660 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/tests/CompositionEngineTest.cpp
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/tests/CompositionEngineTest.cpp
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@
 TEST_F(CompositionEngineTest, canSetTimeStats) {
     mEngine.setTimeStats(mTimeStats);
 
-    EXPECT_EQ(mTimeStats.get(), &mEngine.getTimeStats());
+    EXPECT_EQ(mTimeStats.get(), mEngine.getTimeStats());
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/tests/OutputTest.cpp b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/tests/OutputTest.cpp
index a955178..2109987 100644
--- a/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/tests/OutputTest.cpp
+++ b/services/surfaceflinger/CompositionEngine/tests/OutputTest.cpp
@@ -3332,8 +3332,7 @@
 
         EXPECT_CALL(mOutput, getCompositionEngine()).WillRepeatedly(ReturnRef(mCompositionEngine));
         EXPECT_CALL(mCompositionEngine, getRenderEngine()).WillRepeatedly(ReturnRef(mRenderEngine));
-        EXPECT_CALL(mCompositionEngine, getTimeStats())
-                .WillRepeatedly(ReturnRef(*mTimeStats.get()));
+        EXPECT_CALL(mCompositionEngine, getTimeStats()).WillRepeatedly(Return(mTimeStats.get()));
         EXPECT_CALL(*mDisplayColorProfile, getHdrCapabilities())
                 .WillRepeatedly(ReturnRef(kHdrCapabilities));
     }