Effective date: November 6, 2026
The Last Lantern (“the game”) is a puzzle game for Android made by MatrixInn Solutions (“we”). This policy explains what information the game handles. We collect as little as possible.
Summary
- The game does not send your name, your progress, your age or anything else to us, unless you sign in to save your progress, join the optional leaderboard, or send us a problem report (see below).
- No account is needed to play. Signing in with Google to save your progress is optional. No analytics, unless you join the optional leaderboard: then we see your stars per level, to understand how players progress.
- The game asks once for a name, your birth month and year, and your agreement to the terms. Your name and birth date stay on your device.
- The game shows ads from Google AdMob. Google may collect some device information to show and measure ads, as described below. Children under 13 only get child-directed, non-personalized ads.
Information stored on your device
The game saves a small file on your device (in the game’s private app storage). It contains:
- the name you typed on the welcome screen, and the date you agreed to the terms;
- your progress: stars per level, which story pages you have seen, your daily puzzle streak, your Embers (the game’s reward points), the looks you unlocked, and the friend-battle codes you already won;
- your settings: sound, music, vibration, reduce motion and the selected chapter;
- your birth month and year (see “Age screen”);
- whether reminders are on;
- if you joined the leaderboard: your nickname, the country you chose, your player number and the key the game uses to sign its updates.
This file never leaves your device (the leaderboard sends only what is listed under “Leaderboard”). We cannot see it. Uninstalling the game or clearing its storage in Android Settings deletes it.
Welcome screen and age
The first time you open the game, it asks what to call you (a first name or a nickname), your birth month and year, and that you agree to the terms of use and this policy. The name is only used inside the game (for example “Hi, Sam”) and in battle challenges you choose to send (see “Sharing”); it is never sent to us.
The game asks for your birth month and year. Nothing is preselected, and no answer unlocks anything. We use it to choose how ads are requested, and to decide whether you may join the optional leaderboard (see below):
- Under 13: ads are requested as child-directed (COPPA), marked as under the age of consent, non-personalized, and limited to content rated G. No consent form is shown.
- 13 to 15: if you are in a region where consent is required (such as the European Economic Area and the UK), ads are marked as under the age of consent and are non-personalized, and no consent form is shown. Elsewhere you are treated like 16 and over.
- 16 and over: where the law requires it, Google’s consent form asks for your choice before any ad is requested. Ads are limited to content rated PG.
The date itself is only stored on your device. It is not sent to us, to Google, or anywhere else; only the resulting setting (for example “child-directed”) reaches the ad service. The game’s own diagnostic log records only the age group, never the date.
Ads (Google AdMob)
The game uses the Google Mobile Ads SDK and Google’s User Messaging Platform (UMP). Video ads play only when you choose one: to get a hint, or (13 and over) to double the daily puzzle’s Embers or to earn Embers in the shop. A banner ad is shown at the bottom of the puzzle screen. There are no pop-up ads.
The ad SDK starts only after the age screen, and only if consent rules allow ads. When it runs, Google may collect and process:
- device and app information, such as the advertising ID, device model, operating system and app version;
- an IP address, which can be used to estimate your general location (country or city, not precise location);
- ad interactions, such as views and taps, and diagnostics such as crash and performance data.
Google uses this to deliver ads, measure them, and prevent fraud. For children under 13 and for players treated as under the age of consent, ads are not personalized. How Google handles this data is described at https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites and https://policies.google.com/privacy.
Your choices: where consent is required, you can change your ad choices at any time in the game’s Settings (“Ad privacy choices”). You can also reset or delete your advertising ID in Android Settings, under Privacy > Ads.
Early test copies: some early test copies of the game shared before release had ads switched off. Those copies do not show the age screen, do not start the ad SDK, and do not send any information anywhere.
What we do not do
- We do not collect names, email addresses, contacts, photos or precise location. (The name you type stays on your device. The leaderboard asks for a nickname, and asks you not to use your real name. The problem report form asks you not to write personal details.)
- We do not sell personal information.
- We do not use third-party analytics or tracking tools. Our only own analytics is the stars-per-level progress of players who join the leaderboard.
- The game has no chat and no way for players to contact each other inside the game. The leaderboard shows only nicknames and stars. Friend battles happen through codes that you send yourself with your phone’s share menu.
- Embers and the looks in the shop cannot be bought with money in this version.
Permissions
The game asks Android for the vibration permission (for haptic feedback; you can turn it off in Settings) and, on Android 13 and later, the notification permission (for reminders and news; you can say no). Through the Google ad SDK it also uses internet access and the advertising ID permission.
Leaderboard (optional)
The leaderboard is off unless you join it. You can only join if you are old enough to agree to this yourself where you live: 13 in most countries (including the US, the UK and Pakistan), 14, 15 or 16 in some European countries (16 in Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland, for example), and 18 in India. The game uses your answer on the age screen and the country you choose (it starts with your phone’s region), and you confirm your age and agree before joining. If you join, we store on our own server (matrixinn.net):
- the nickname you choose (please don’t use your real name) and the country you choose;
- your phone model and system (for example “Pixel 7, Android”) and the game version;
- your game progress: the stars you earned on each level;
- a random player number and a secret key the game uses to sign its updates.
We use this to show the leaderboard and to understand how players progress through the game (which levels are hard, how far players get). Other players only see your nickname and your stars. We do not sell it or share it with anyone, and it is not used for ads.
Deleting your data: open the leaderboard in the game and tap “Delete my data”: everything is removed from our server at once. If you no longer have the game, email us your nickname at the address below and we will delete it. We also remove nicknames that are offensive, and entries that have not been updated for two years.
The information travels encrypted (HTTPS).
Account and cloud save (optional)
In Settings you can choose “Save progress with Google”. This is only offered to players old enough to agree to it themselves where they live (the same ages as the leaderboard below). It uses Google’s Firebase Authentication and Cloud Firestore (Google LLC processes this data for us). When you sign in:
- Firebase Authentication stores your Google account’s email address, name, profile picture link and a user id;
- Cloud Firestore stores your game progress under that user id: stars per level, story pages seen, daily puzzle streak, daily reward days, Embers, unlocked looks, won battle codes, the game version and the time of the last save. Your name from the welcome screen, your birth date and your settings are not uploaded.
We use this only to save your progress and restore it on another phone. Only you (signed in) can read or change your save. We do not use it for ads, and we do not sell or share it.
Deleting your account: in the game, open Settings > Signed in > Manage > Delete account. This deletes your cloud save and your account at once (your progress on the phone stays). If you no longer have the game, email us from the same Google address at the address below and we will delete your account and save within 30 days.
Notifications from us
When “Reminders and news” is on in Settings, the game also receives occasional messages from us (for example about an update or a new chapter) through Google’s Firebase Cloud Messaging. For this, Firebase gives the app installation a random id so messages can be delivered; we never see it and do not store it, and messages are sent to all players at once. Android shows them only if you allowed notifications. Turning “Reminders and news” off stops them.
Problem reports
In Settings, “Report a problem” lets you send us a note when something goes wrong. Nothing is sent unless you press Send. A report contains: the topic you picked, the message you typed (players under 13 can only pick a topic, not type), the game version, your phone model and system, your age group (for example “13 to 15”, never the date), and, if you leave the box ticked, the game’s recent activity log (for example “tapped tile 5”, “level 3 won”; it never contains your name, birth date or any id). It contains no name, no player number and no advertising ID. Our server uses your internet address only to stop floods of reports and does not store it. We use reports only to fix problems, keep them for one year, and do not share them. To have a report deleted, email us the date you sent it.
Update and news messages
When you open the game, it asks our server (matrixinn.net) whether a newer version or a news message is available, and shows it. This request contains no personal information (like any web request, it reaches our server from your internet address, which we do not store).
Daily puzzle and friend battles
The daily puzzle is made on your phone from the date; nothing is sent anywhere. A friend battle code contains only three puzzle numbers and a finishing time. Typing a friend’s code sends nothing anywhere.
Sharing
From the hint card you can share the game (a picture and a link to Google Play) with an app you choose, once a day, for a free hint. After a friend battle you can send a challenge: a short message with your battle code, your time, your name from the welcome screen and a link to Google Play. Both use Android’s own share menu: you choose the app and the person, the game does not see what you post or who you send it to, and nothing is sent to us. These options are not shown to players under 13.
Reminders
If you allow notifications, the game can show at most one gentle reminder a day for the next week after you stop playing (for example that a new Daily Puzzle is ready, that your streak ends at midnight, or which level is next). They are scheduled by your phone itself; nothing is sent to us or to anyone else. You can turn them off in the game’s Settings or in Android’s notification settings.
Children
The game is suitable for children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone. For players under 13, the game only requests child-directed, non-personalized ads, through an ad network certified for Google Play’s Families program. A parent who has questions can contact us at the address below.
Changes
If this policy changes, we will update this page and the effective date above.
Contact
MatrixInn Solutions
m.usamaalam60@gmail.com