FAQ
Questions, answered plainly
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Using Lantern Zero
- What does Lantern Zero do?
- It wakes your Zcash wallet every 30 minutes so it stays in sync in the background. If you turn on scanning, it also tells you within seconds when a payment arrives.
- How do I get notified when I receive a Zcash payment?
- Connect a wallet with a Lantern Zero connection URL. In the default mode you stay in sync through scheduled wake-ups and your wallet finds payments when it scans. Turn on scanning if you want a push within seconds of a shielded payment, including in the mempool.
- Can my wallet get a push notification for a shielded Zcash payment?
- Yes, with scanning mode on. Your wallet lends an incoming viewing key for a short in-memory lease. The server watches new blocks and the mempool, then sends an encrypted push. Default mode only sends the same contentless wake-up to every device; it does not alert you to individual payments.
- Which wallets support it?
- None yet. The protocol is a draft and the server is a prototype. Wallet developers can start from the protocol spec today.
- How do I connect a wallet?
- Paste or scan a connection URL in your wallet's settings, the way you'd set a custom server address. Some wallets may set it up for you.
- How much does it cost?
- Scheduled wake-ups are free. Scanning mode and plans for wallet companies are paid, in shielded ZEC on this website; prices aren't set yet. Neither needs an email or personal details.
- Can I run my own server?
- Yes. The server is open source under MIT or Apache-2.0, and self-hosted servers use the same connection URL. A ready-made self-hosting kit is in progress.
Privacy and safety
- Can Lantern Zero spend my funds?
- No. Your spending keys never leave your wallet. The server never asks for them.
- What does the server learn in the default mode?
- That your account exists and which devices to wake. It never sees a viewing key, and it never sees your IP address, because requests go through an independent relay.
- What does scanning mode reveal?
- While you lend a viewing key, the server can see the payments you receive to it. The key lives only in memory for 24 hours to 7 days. For the least exposure, use a separate receiving account for scanning.
- Can Apple or Google see my payments?
- No. Every push is encrypted to your device. They can see when a push arrives, so with instant alerts they could tell when you were paid. Private alerts avoid this by waiting for the next scheduled ping.
- How do I delete my account?
- From your wallet. Everything tied to the account is removed from our live systems immediately, and from backups within 35 days.
How it works
- Why every 30 minutes, and not every block?
- Apple asks apps to receive no more than two or three background pushes an hour. After the NU7 upgrade, a block comes every 25 seconds, so each wake checks about 72 blocks.
- How fast is a payment alert?
- With scanning on, the server can send an alert within seconds after a shielded payment appears in the mempool or in a new block. Default wake-ups run every 30 minutes and do not carry payment details.
- What if my phone misses a wake?
- Nothing breaks. Phones sometimes delay or skip background pushes, and your wallet catches up at the next wake or when you open it.
- Does Lantern Zero replace my light wallet server?
- No. Your wallet still downloads compact blocks from the light wallet server it already uses. Lantern Zero tells it when to sync and, in scanning mode, which blocks to scan first.
- Does it work with Tor?
- A self-hosted server can be reached over a Tor onion service instead of a relay. The hosted service always uses Oblivious HTTP relays.
- What happens after Zcash's Tachyon upgrade?
- Tachyon will change how wallets find shielded payments, so we expect the scanning service to retire when it ships. The wake-up channel is designed to keep working after that. Your wallet's own background schedule comes close to a keyless ping, especially on Android; the ping is one more wake source, and we have not yet measured whether it is more reliable than what the OS provides on its own. See what Tachyon changes for wallets.
More detail: real-time Zcash notifications and Tachyon and wake-ups. Still curious? Open an issue on GitHub.