Being bombarded with advertisements on our YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, and other social media feeds is already a pretty terrible experience. Now imagine seeing ads on your lock screen first thing in the morning. That could very well be our reality in the not too distant future.
TechCrunch reported this week that India-based mobile ad company Glance has been in talks with U.S. carriers about plans to launch lock screen ads on several Android phones as soon as next month, according to a source familiar with the matter. That source requested anonymity because “the deliberations were ongoing and private.”
Glance is a subsidiary of mobile marketing giant InMobi Group, whose fundraising efforts in 2019 secured Google as an investor. It currently serves ads to 400 million Android phones in Asian markets, including the budget version of Samsung phones. Valued at around $2 billion, it usually partners with smartphone manufacturers to have lock screen ads pre-installed into the devices.
Glance serves as a dynamic lock screen that rests on top of the AndroidOS UI overlay. Instead of seeing just the wallpaper on your lock screen — like a photo of your family, significant other, or (in my case) a favorite video game character — you would see a torrent of content promoting news, games, videos, and other advertisements. The only way to get past those ads is to unlock your screen and go about your business.
Despite its success overseas, the notion of Glance putting ads on Android lock screens with support from U.S. mobile carriers could be a recipe for annoyance. Yes, advertisements are necessary for companies and social media influencers to generate revenue, but being placed on the lock screens of our mobile devices every single day seems like an unwelcome next step.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.
Apple's next cheaper iPhone could get a brand-new processor while keeping its most stubborn display compromise. Digital Chat Station tips the iPhone 18e for a 2027 release with a 2nm A20 chip and a 6.12-inch OLED screen still limited to 60Hz.
The rumored camera setup includes a single 48MP rear camera and a possible 24MP selfie camera. There's new hardware to consider, but buyers hoping Apple would extend that upgrade generosity to smoother scrolling could be disappointed.