Privacy policy

Last updated 27 September 2026

LastBar is a crowdsourced map of mobile network coverage, operated by CLC Agency. This policy explains what the app collects, what it is used for, how long it is kept and how you can stop or delete it. LastBar has no accounts and never asks who you are.

What is collected

When collection is on, the app records a reading at the interval you choose. A reading holds:

• Your location, with its accuracy, at the moment of the reading.
• The mobile network you are on: carrier, network type (2G to 5G), whether voice and data are available.
• On Android: signal strength and the identity of the cell towers in range.
• Now and then, the download speed and latency of your connection.
• Battery level and whether the phone is charging, to keep the app's battery use low.
• The app version, your phone's platform (Android or iOS) and a random device id.

What is never collected

• Your name, email address, phone number or contacts.
• Your phone's IMEI, your SIM's IMSI or ICCID, or an advertising id.
• The content of your calls, messages or browsing.

The device id is a random number made by the app on first launch. It is not derived from your phone or SIM, and resetting it in the app gives you a new one that cannot be linked to the old.

What it is used for

Readings from everyone are combined into map cells of roughly 0.1 km², per carrier and network type. Only these combined cells are shown on the map and sent to other users. A cell shows a quality score, a reading count and the date of its last reading, to the day. It never shows a device id or the time of an individual reading.

Your individual readings are location data about you, and we treat them as personal information under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). They are used only to build the coverage map and to detect faulty or abusive data.

Background location

If you choose background collection, the app records readings while it is closed or not in use, so that the map covers the places you travel through. On Android a notification is shown for as long as collection runs. You can switch to "Only while app is open" or turn collection off in Settings at any time, and the map keeps working.

How long it is kept

• Individual readings are deleted after 18 months.
• Combined map cells are kept, as they cannot be traced to a person.
• Readings not yet uploaded stay on your phone for at most 30 days.

Deleting your contributions

In the app, open Settings, then Data and privacy, then "Delete my contributions". Your device and all of its readings are erased from our servers within 24 hours, and the map cells they contributed to are recalculated without them. You can also export your own readings as a CSV file from the same screen.

Advertising and purchases

The free version shows ads served by Google AdMob. We request non-personalised ads unless you have given consent where the law requires it. Google may process your IP address and device information to serve and measure ads, under Google's privacy policy. Readings are never shared with advertisers.

The Pro purchase is handled by the App Store or Google Play, and by RevenueCat, which confirms that the purchase was made. We receive no payment details. Pro removes all ads.

Who the data is shared with

Individual readings are not sold or shared. They are stored on servers we rent from a hosting provider, which processes them on our behalf. Combined map cells are public to users of the app. Map images come from a map tile provider, which sees your IP address and the area you are viewing.

Security

All communication with our servers is encrypted. The key that identifies your device is kept in your phone's secure storage and is stored on our servers only in hashed form.

Your rights

You may ask what we hold about your device, have it corrected or deleted, and object to its processing. As there are no accounts, we identify your data by the device id shown in the app under Settings, then Diagnostics. You may also lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa, or with the data protection authority of your country.

Children

LastBar is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect data from them.

Contact

CLC Agency
Information Officer: Willem Van Zyl
info@clc.agency

Changes to this policy

When this policy changes, the date at the top changes with it. A change that affects what is collected is also announced in the app before it takes effect.