Glance, which operates a lock screen platform for Android smartphones, is setting its sights on the US market. The Indian startup recently launched a pilot program in partnership with US companies Motorola and Verizon, and plans to fully launch in India later this year, people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.
The Bangalore-headquartered startup is backed by investors including Google and Jio Platforms, and has already made significant inroads in India, Southeast Asia, and Japan, where it expanded last year. Glance's technology delivers a customized feed of news, local events, sports updates, media content, and interactive games directly to users' lock screens without the need to install additional apps.
Android smartphone makers have been under pressure to increase revenue in recent years amid increased competition and low hardware profit margins. Initially, many of these companies were looking for new sources of revenue to supplement their core businesses. But as Glance's lock screen platform gains traction, coupled with its stance on privacy, more smartphone makers are recognizing its potential as a powerful tool for differentiation, industry executives say.
Glance does not collect your personal data, instead providing information to recommendation engines based on your usage patterns. One source said the company is working with Qualcomm to build a unique lock screen experience powered by AI. The partnership would also allow Glance to significantly reduce the data it consumes for personalized feeds and move much of the processing on-device.
One of the sources said Glance has no plans to display ads on the lock screen in the United States. Glance ships pre-installed on your device, but you can easily remove it.
Lock screens and other non-app screens are becoming important assets for smartphone vendors and brands. “Surface still exists today, driven by three types of players: OEM-led, OS-led, and Surface-first innovation-led,” BCG wrote in a recent industry report. “Players like Glance are the most interesting companies in terms of the AI innovations they have introduced to provide users with relevant content every time.”
Glance's lock screen platform is currently used on more than 450 million smartphones, and is running on about 300 million of them, according to people familiar with the matter.
In the U.S., the eponymous startup plans to partner with more carriers, as well as brands like CNN and the NBA, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the details are private. a person involved said. The recently launched Moto G Power smartphone in the US shipped with the Glance platform. A Glance spokesperson declined to comment.
TechCrunch previously reported that Glance has been aiming to launch in the US for at least two years. It's unclear why it wasn't released in the U.S. sooner.
The Indian startup's lock screen technology has already proven successful in driving user engagement and app installs for brand partners. A nine-week partnership with Indian streaming service JioCinema last year resulted in an increase of 9 million app installs from more than 100 million unique impressions, BCG wrote. The campaign also targeted dormant users, resulting in a 12.5% increase in app launches and converting the install base into daily active users, the report adds.