Your Android phone may soon show ads and other content on the lock screen thanks to a company called Glance.
The Google-backed lock screen content company is expanding into the US after success in India, Southeast Asia and Japan. As part of its expansion into the US, Glance is working with Motorola and Verizon, and is reportedly planning to work with brands such as CNN and the NBA, to deliver lock screen content.
Glance’s widget displays a dynamic rotation of ads, sponsored content, and customizable feeds of news, local events, and sports on your phone’s lock screen. Additionally, the company offers similar widgets for your home screen and folders.
Glance’s lock screen ads widget is currently pre-installed on the Moto G 5G and Moto G Power 5G and is expected to be added to more phones.
According to a TechCrunch report, Glance is pre-installed on more than 450 million smartphones and has more than 300 million active users. While TechCrunch says a source claims Glance has no plans to show ads on the lock screen in the US, given its significant number of active users, some speculate it’s only a matter of time before they make their way onto lock screens in the United States. States.
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Glance is reportedly working with Qualcomm to develop an AI-powered lock screen experience on the device. Glance claims that the AI lock screen experience will be different from the current iteration seen on entry-level devices, but didn’t specify what those differences would be.
The appearance of ads in this space is important because for most of us, our lock screens are often the first thing we see when we pick up our phones. It’s where we start tapping and what we fiddle with uselessly when we’re not using the phone directly.
Ads appearing on phone lock screens and in your phone’s software are rare in the West. However, they are more common on phones in Asia, including budget phones from manufacturers like Xiaomi, OnePlus and Samsung. Meanwhile, more ads are expected on Kindle and Fire tablets.
However, if Glance plans to put ads on Western Android phones, it could face pushback from users who view their lock screen as a personal space reserved for practical tools like note-taking, notifications and personal photos.
The Windows 11 ads
There are also parallels between the lock screen ads and the controversial ads addition of ads to Windows 11. Microsoft calls these ads “recommendations,” and they are placed on the Settings home page and the Start menu.
The ads in Windows have been likened to turning your personal workspace into a billboard, which can feel like an invasion of your space and a cash grab from the computer giant. While Microsoft highlights its products in its Windows ads, Glance exclusively shows third-party content.
For now, both Windows and Android ads are optional and can be turned off. Glance’s pre-installed app can also be uninstalled or disabled if users find the ads too invasive.
However, both new ad sources could be part of a broader trend of companies using new ad placements where we haven’t seen them before and in more personal spaces.
Budget phones with built-in ads may become increasingly common as smartphone makers look for new revenue streams beyond original phone sales. In theory, this could lead to better quality devices at an affordable price, with the costs offset by including ads and sponsored content, as we currently see with the Amazon Fire Tablet.