Ads, now coming to your lock screens
Ads will follow you anywhere, even your lock screens. (Photo: Glance)
No one particularly enjoys being advertised to, and yet ads are becoming more invasive than ever. They’re on your social media pages, your daily mobile crossword, and even your YouTube video of Vine compilations.
Digital advertisers have caught on to users’ general distaste for ads and have given them somewhat of a cop-out: Our ever-favorite ‘skip ads’ button, which of course only pops up after consuming a specific amount of seconds.
As someone who abuses the ‘skip ads’ button quite liberally, it bothers me that brands keep trying to find ways to bypass barriers. And lo-and-behold, it looks like they finally have.
In less than two months, brands can begin knocking on your proverbial virtual door—your phone lock screen.
Ads at a Glance
You read that right, your phone’s lock screen is about to be tech’s hottest real estate.
Software developers realized that mobile users care about what their lock screens look like. It began with Apple announcing the new iOS 16 lock screen notification system and Android allowing users to curate their user experience. But other tech companies have something more extreme in mind.
Glance, a subsidiary of mobile advertising tech company InMobi, is an artificial intelligence-based software company developing technology that delivers content directly to users’ lock screens. The way it works is that Glance utilizes AI technology to offer a personalized UX, filling the standard lock screen with relevant content.
To paint a picture of what it looks like: If you know what Snapchat’s discover feed looks like, imagine that but on your lock screen. The app boasts a carousel-like feature that displays headlines, quizzes, videos, photos, and games that pop up each time your phone screen turns on. These content or “glances”—which the company cites as getting 65 views from each user per day—will then be displayed alongside ads.
Does it sound like a fever dream? Far from it. This $2 billion-valued tech startup is confidently making money moves, with big tech names backing its developments like Google, Jio, and Mithril. So far, it has already amassed around 420 million smartphone users in Asian markets and is looking to expand its services to the US through carriers. Not to mention Glance’s plan to roll out the app in full force as early as September.
Lock screen ads = less phone usage?
Despite what you may think, software developers are making a case for how lock screen ads can potentially lessen phone usage.
Craig Federighi–Apple’s software chief–proposes that feature-rich lock screens can make it easier to obtain quick information without subjecting oneself to other digital distractions. “If you get the answer at a glance then you don’t need to unlock. And once you’ve unlocked your phone, you almost forget why you were there in the first place!”
Smartphone users having content-filled lock screens is an exciting prospect for brands, as that is one other way to get closer to you. And as everyone knows, an ardent demand will be supplied. Developers are bound to build on lock screen systems that are more relevant and personalized, to help advertisers hook you onto Glance’s feed without even pressing a button.
There’s an argument that Glance-like software can turn smartphones into consumption-only devices. InMobi CEO Naveen Tewari makes a case for what he calls the “lock feed,” and insists that the future of smartphone usage is “easier access to endless feeds of medium-interesting content.”
The hassle of jumping from app to app for media consumption disappears, as curated content is practically served to you on a silver platter.
Is it worth it?
If the concept of searching for content is made obsolete, users lose the agency to choose what they consume. The opportunities to explore content unrelated to their interests are also erased.
And even if it meant a highly-curated feed on your lock screen, is having your data and behavior digitally-monitored worth the convenience? Not to mention the ads that come along with it.
I’m all for finding ways to ease up on smartphone usage and digital distraction, but having lock screen features seems like one step forward, two steps back. If this AI software was developed to help users focus and avoid distractions, I can’t comprehend how a lock screen app can do anything but invite users to scroll on end.
Quite frankly, apps and ads can get off my lock screen lawn.
