Glance, which operates a popular lock screen platform targeting Android smartphones, is setting its sights on the US market. The Indian startup recently launched 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 inroads in India, Southeast Asia and Japan, where it expanded last year. According to a person familiar with the matter, Glance’s lock screen platform currently reaches more than 450 million smartphones and is active on about 300 million of them, providing those customers with a tailored feed of news, local events, sports updates , multimedia content and interactive games directly on the lock screens without the need to install additional applications.
Glance does not collect personal user data, instead relying on usage patterns to inform its recommendation engine. A source says that Glance is also working with Qualcomm to create a unique AI-powered locking experience, and that if this collaboration materializes, it will allow Glance to significantly reduce the data it consumes for personalized streaming and also transfer much of of processing in the device.
In the US, Glance doesn’t plan to show ads on the lock screen, according to a source. Look ships pre-installed on devices, but can be easily removed.
Android smartphone makers have faced increasing pressure to grow revenue in recent years amid fierce competition and tight hardware margins. Initially, many of these companies sought new revenue streams to supplement their core business. But as Glance’s screen lock platform has gained traction, a growing number of smartphone makers have recognized its potential as a powerful differentiator, industry executives say.
Indeed, lock screens and other app-free screens are becoming vital real estate for smartphone vendors and brands. “Surfaces still exist today, driven by 3 types of players — OEM-led, OS-driven, and surface innovation-driven,” BCG he wrote in a recent industry report. “Players like Glance are the most interesting of the innovations that have been developed in artificial intelligence, to serve relevant content for one user at a time.”
In the US, the eponymous startup plans to tie up with more telecom operators, as well as brands such as CNN and the NBA, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the details are private. The recently launched Moto G Power smartphone in the US ships with Glance’s platform. A Glance spokesman declined to comment.
Glance has been eyeing a US launch for at least two years, TechCrunch previously reported. It’s not clear why it wasn’t released in the US sooner.
The Indian startup’s locking 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 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 install base to daily active users, the report added.
