Lampmate privacy policy
Lampmate is operated by TopDevs LLC (the data controller), registered at 1209 Mountain Road PL NE, STE R, Albuquerque, NM 87110, USA. Updated 4 November 2026. Lampmate is not offered in the European Union or the United Kingdom. Questions: lampmate.app@topdevs.ai
The short version
- Your timer, sessions, stats, subjects, exam date, companion and settings are stored on your device only. They are not sent to us.
- You can use the app without an account. An account is needed only to join squads (study groups of up to 10), and only for people 18 and older.
- We never see which apps you use. Focus checks (app switching, phone face-down) happen on your device; nothing about other apps leaves it.
- No ads are shown, and no advertising SDK is started. We don't sell data.
What we process when you use squads
| Data | Why | Where / how long |
|---|---|---|
| Account identifier from Google, Apple or your phone number (sign-in) | To know it's you | Firebase Authentication, until you delete your account |
| Nickname and avatar (you choose; no names, links or contact details allowed) | Shown to your squad-mates | Your squads and your profile, until you leave or delete your account |
| Squad membership | To run your squads | Until you leave or delete your account |
| Presence: “studying since…”, “on a break”, “here” | Shows squad-mates who's studying now | Realtime Database; replaced or removed as you start, pause, stop or leave. An entry left behind (for example, the app was closed mid-session) stops being shown after 12 hours and is removed when you leave the squad or delete your account |
| Session summaries: minutes, day and completed/broken — no subject, no app usage | Your squad's weekly minutes and garden | Deleted automatically after 90 days |
| Your total focused minutes (one number) and this week's minutes per squad | Squad week and garden; limits against inflated totals | Until you delete your account |
| Cheers you send (fixed emoji and preset nudges; no free text) | Encouragement | Deleted within a day (a daily clean-up removes anything older than an hour) |
| People you block, and reports you file (preset reasons only) | Safety | Until you delete your account |
| Technical identifiers used by Firebase (for example, an installation ID for app configuration) | To deliver app configuration | Firebase / Google Cloud |
Cloud backup — optional
Cloud backup is off unless you turn it on (Settings → Account → “Back up my history”; accounts for people 18 and older). When on, a copy of your study history is stored with your account so you can restore it on a new phone: your session summaries (start and end time, minutes, type, completed or not, number of distractions, subject), your subjects, exam setup, mode, companion choice and room decorations. Never which apps you use or block, sensor data, your squads' data, or anything typed elsewhere. The backup is kept in Google Cloud / Firebase (India), replaced at most once a day, and deleted when you delete your account.
Friend invite codes — optional
Signed-in people can get a personal 6-character invite code. A new account may enter one friend's code within 14 days of signing up. If you do, your session summaries (minutes, day, completed or not; no subject, no app usage) are kept for the 14 days after entering the code, so your friend's invite can count once you have finished 3 sessions. These are deleted automatically after 90 days. The person who shared the code only ever sees a number, never who you are.
Crash reports — only if you turn them on
Settings → About → “Send crash reports” is off until you switch it on (signed in or not). When on, if the app crashes it sends Firebase Crashlytics the error and where in the code it happened, your phone model, OS and app version, and a random installation ID — never your sessions, subjects, nickname, squads or the apps on your phone. Purpose: fixing crashes. Kept for 90 days by Crashlytics. Turn it off any time; reports not yet sent are deleted.
App integrity check
When the app talks to our servers (squads, sign-in), Firebase App Check asks Google Play Integrity (Android) or Apple App Attest (iPhone) to confirm the request comes from the genuine app. This protects squads from fake clients; it does not identify you to us.
Where the data is
Google Cloud / Firebase: India (asia-south1) for account data, session summaries and cloud backups; Singapore (asia-southeast1) for live presence.
Your choices
- Delete your account in Settings → Account → Delete account. This removes you from your squads and deletes your nickname, session summaries, blocks, reports you filed or that were filed about you, and your sign-in account from our servers. Study history on your device stays on your device. How to delete your account, including without the app.
- Leave a squad at any time. Block or report anyone from the squad room.
- Cloud backup is off unless you turn it on. Turning it off stops new backups; deleting your account deletes the backup.
- Entering a friend's invite code is optional.
- Crash reports are off unless you turn them on (Settings → About); you can turn them off again any time.
- Uninstalling the app deletes everything stored on the device.
Children and teens
Anyone can use the timer, companion and stats — they collect no personal information (everything stays on the device). Accounts (squads) are for people 18 and older. Before sign-in the app asks for a date of birth; the answer stays on the device. Under 18, no account can be created, so we don't knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account, write to lampmate.app@topdevs.ai and we'll delete it.
Permissions (Android)
Notifications (the running-session notification), foreground service (keeps the timer visible while you focus), internet (squads). “Usage access” is optional and stays on the device.
Contact
Privacy questions and requests: lampmate.app@topdevs.ai.