Glance, which operates a preferred lockscreen platform concentrating on Android smartphones, is setting its sights on the U.S. market. The Indian startup not too long ago commenced a pilot program in partnership with Motorola and Verizon within the U.S., with plans for a full launch within the nation later this yr, sources aware of the matter instructed TechCrunch.
The Bengaluru-headquartered startup, backed by traders together with Google and Jio Platforms, has already made vital inroads in India, Southeast Asia, and Japan, the place it expanded final yr. According to an individual aware of the matter, Glance’s lockscreen platform right this moment reaches greater than 450 million smartphones and is energetic on about 300 million of them, delivering these prospects a personalized feed of stories, native occasions, sports activities updates, media content material, and interactive video games on to their lockscreens with out requiring them to put in extra apps.
Glance doesn’t acquire private knowledge of customers, as an alternative counting on utilization patterns to tell its suggestion engine. A supply says that Glance can be working with Qualcomm to construct a novel AI-powered lockscreen expertise, and that if that partnership materializes, it is going to permit Glance to considerably cut back the info it consumes for its customized feed and likewise transfer a lot of the processing to on-device.
In the U.S., Glance doesn’t plan to show adverts on the lockscreen, in accordance with one supply. Glance ships pre-installed on gadgets, however might be simply eliminated.
Android smartphone producers have confronted rising stress to spice up income lately amid fierce competitors and slim revenue margins on {hardware}. Initially, many of those corporations sought out new income streams to complement their core enterprise. However, as Glance’s lockscreen platform gained traction, a rising variety of smartphone makers have acknowledged its potential as a robust software for differentiation, trade executives say.
Indeed, lockscreens and different non-app screens have gotten essential actual property for smartphone distributors and types. “‘Surfaces’ exist even today, driven by 3 types of players — OEM-driven, OS-driven, and surface-first innovation driven,” BCG wrote in a latest trade report. “Players like Glance are the most interesting of the lot w.r.t. innovation in AI deployed, to serve relevant content for a user every single time.”
In the U.S., the eponymous startup plans to tie-up with extra telecom operators, in addition to manufacturers together with CNN and the NBA, sources stated, requesting anonymity as the main points are non-public. The not too long ago launched Moto G Power smartphone within the U.S. shipped with Glance’s platform. A Glance spokesperson declined to remark.
Glance has been eyeing to launch within the U.S. for at the least two years, TechCrunch earlier reported. It’s not clear why it didn’t launch within the U.S. sooner.
The Indian startup’s lockscreen expertise has already confirmed profitable in driving person engagement and app installations for model companions. A nine-week partnership with Indian streaming service JioCinema final yr resulted in 9 million incremental app installs from over 100 million distinctive impressions, BCG wrote. The marketing campaign additionally focused dormant customers, resulting in a 12.5% improve in app opens and changing the set up base into every day energetic customers, the report added.
