According to a new report from TechCrunch, startup Glance is working to launch its lockscreen-based smartphone services in the US in the coming months. The report indicated Glance is working to develop partnerships with US network operators to enter the market in the coming months.
Glance originated inside of India-based mobile advertising giant InMobi roughly three years ago. Since then, it achieved unicorn status (above a $1 billion valuation) in 2020 with funding from Google and Mithril Capital. It raised another $200 million from India's Jio Platforms earlier this year, raising its valuation to an estimated $1.8 billion. The company hopes to make money from ads, user subscriptions and other sources.
As noted by Finshots, the company initially built an app for users to download to their phones, but then pivoted into direct partnerships with handset makers like Samsung, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi, and operators like Jio, in order to preload its services directly into phones' lock screens. The company recently touted its presence in more than 400 million devices with the goal of creating "the world's largest live content and commerce ecosystem on the lock screen."
Glance said its February funding round would allow it to launch into several international markets including the US, Brazil, Mexico and Russia.
In the US, Glance is treading familiar territory. For example, Australian startup Unlockd was founded in 2015 with the goal of serving ads onto users' lock screens, and touted a deal with Sprint's Boost Mobile in the US by 2016. However, the company no longer appears to be operational.
Other recent efforts in the same arena include the new BoostOne app for Dish Network's Boost Mobile customers.
Figure 1: BoostOne is an app from Boost Mobile that features some advertisements. Click here for a larger version of this image.
(Source: Boost. Used with permission.)
Similarly, the Moolah Mobile app in the US also promises to reward users for watching ads. Other similar offerings in the US in the past have included Surge, Blyk, Amazon Prime phones, Xero Mobile, Virgin Mobile's SugarMama, Sliide, Opera and Aquto, to name a few.
The US market is somewhat separate from other global markets because mobile users typically purchase their phones from network operators rather than directly from handset makers. Moreover, the US market is primarily dominated by two smartphone vendors: Apple and Samsung.
Thus, it's unclear where Glance might focus its efforts in the US market. A likely first target for the company might be MVNOs like Ultra Mobile or potentially Xfinity Mobile from Comcast.
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— Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading | @mikeddano
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