Glance, which operates a popular lock screen platform aimed at Android smartphones, is setting its sights on the US market. The Indian startup recently began a pilot program in partnership with Motorola and Verizon in the US, with plans for a full launch in the country later this year, sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.
The Bengaluru-based startup, backed by investors including Google and Jio Platforms, has already made significant strides in India, Southeast Asia and Japan, where it expanded last year. According to a person familiar with the matter, Glance’s lock screen platform reaches more than 450 million smartphones today and is active on about 300 million of them, giving those customers a personalized feed of news, local events, sports updates, multimedia content and interactive games. directly to your lock screens without installing additional apps.
Glance does not collect personal data from users, but instead relies on usage patterns to inform its recommendation engine. A source says that Glance is also working with Qualcomm to create a unique AI-powered lock screen experience, and that if that partnership comes to fruition, it will allow Glance to significantly reduce the data it consumes for its custom feed and also move much of the processing on the device.
In the US, Glance does not plan to show ads on the lock screen, according to a source. Glance ships pre-installed on devices, but can be easily removed.
Android smartphone makers have faced increasing pressure to increase revenue in recent years amid fierce competition and slim profit margins on hardware. Initially, many of these companies looked for new sources of income to complement their core business. However, as Glance’s lock screen platform has gained traction, a growing number of smartphone makers have recognized its potential as a powerful tool for differentiation, industry executives say.
In fact, lock screens and other non-app displays are becoming crucial real estate for smartphone brands and vendors. “‘Surfaces’ exist even today, driven by 3 types of players: OEM-driven, OS-driven, and surface innovation-driven,” BCG wrote in a recent industry report. “Players like Glance are the most interesting of all in terms of AI innovation implemented, to deliver relevant content to a user at all times.”
In the United States, the startup of the same name plans to partner with more telecom operators, as well as brands such as CNN and the NBA, said sources who requested anonymity as the details are private. The recently launched Moto G Power smartphone in the US shipped with the Glance platform. A Glance spokesman declined to comment.
The gaze has been looking at release in the US for at least two years, TechCrunch previously reported. It’s unclear why it wasn’t released sooner in the United States.
The Indian startup’s lock screen technology has already proven successful in driving user engagement and app installations for brand partners. A nine-week partnership with Indian streaming service JioCinema last year resulted in 9 million incremental app installs from more than 100 million unique impressions, BCG wrote. The campaign also targeted inactive users, driving a 12.5% increase in app opens and converting the installed base into daily active users, the report added.