Glance, a subsidiary of addech giant InMobi Group, plans to launch its lock screen platform on Android smartphones in the U.S. within two months, a source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.
The startup is partnering with wireless carriers in the U.S. for collaborations and is preparing to launch several smartphone models next month, the source said, requesting anonymity, as that deliberations are ongoing and private.
Glance, valued at about $ 2 billion, offers multimedia and current content and casual games on the lock screen of Android phones. The service, which has amassed a presence in some 400 million smartphones in Asian markets, is building a “premium offering” for the U.S., where people are more likely to pay for digital services, the source said.
A Glance spokesman declined to comment Tuesday. The startup said in February that it planned to expand globally in the coming years.
The link with US operators is a change of strategy for Glance, which maintains direct relationships with almost every Android smartphone maker in Asia. But in the U.S., operators control most smartphone sales and mobile phones are sold with mobile data plans.
Three-year-old Glance is largely credited with identifying an opportunity to display content on the lock screen, a prized property whose monetization has allowed smartphone vendors to increase their revenue in recent years. The launcher customizes the content feed on the lock screen based on users ’interests, so it asks them to engage deeply with the content.
In a move that further consolidated Glance’s model, Apple said last month that it will renew the lock screen on iOS with widgets, real-time information and other customization features.
Glance’s rapid adoption has helped it attract several high-profile investors, such as Google and Jio Platforms, India’s largest telecom operator with more than 420 million subscribers.
In recent months, the startup has been testing live trading on its platform and is also collaborating with TV providers to bring Glance to its customers ’TV operating systems. Glance is also a core offering in Pragati OS, the custom Android operating system developed by Google and Jio Platforms for affordable smartphones.