Glance, one of the world’s leading smart lock screens – launches in Japan in partnership with leading carriers and Android smartphone brands
In today’s information heavy world, deciding what to watch, read or experience on the smartphone can be exhausting for consumers. Searching, downloading multiple apps, switching between these apps and scrolling through endless feed often tires the mind, leaving consumers drained. But what if there was a way to make it easier for consumers to enjoy the internet? What if the smartphone could be made smarter, simplifying the way consumers discover content and experiences on the internet?
Glance Lock Screen, one of the world’s leading smart lock screen platforms, is doing just that, changing how hundreds of millions of consumers across the world engage with the internet. And for the first time ever, consumers of Japan’s biggest carriers and Android smartphone brands can experience this revolutionary smart lock screen platform as well.
Glance is an AI-driven platform that offers a wide range of experiences directly on the lock screens of Android smartphones. These lock screen experiences include instant games, live game streaming, news, sports, lifestyle, fashion, entertainment, shopping, and live content. These premium and beautiful experiences are delivered through Glance’s partnership with reputed publishers, content partners, and developers. Glance’s AI personalises these experiences, ensuring that consumers find content that is most relevant and important to them, each time they glance or look at their lock screen. They do this without needing to unlock their phones or download multiple apps or spend time searching for content.
“With Glance we are unlocking the power of the lock screen, using AI to transform passive lock screens into smart lock screens,” says Piyush Shah, Co-founder of InMobi Group and COO & President of Glance. “Consumers check their lock screen over 100 times a day, but only use it for notifications, battery, and time. With Glance smart lock screen, they can stay on top of everything that interests them throughout the day. This could be a casual game that they love, latest score of a baseball game, the latest J-pop album launch, updates on their favourite celebrities and shows or news that matters to them – all without unlocking, downloading, or searching.” Shah adds, “We are truly honoured to launch in the Japanese market and hope to bring the best lock screen experience to consumers here.”
In Japan, Glance is already available to subscribers of SoftBank Corp using Xiaomi (Redmi Note 9T Redmi Note 10T, and 12T Pro) and Motorola (Moto G53y 5G) smartphones. In the upcoming quarters, it aims to expand its presence to other big carriers and Android smartphone brands in Japan. Globally, Glance is present on over 450 million Android smartphones, and is aiming to be on over one billion phones in the next two years. The platform has over 230 million active users, primarily in India and Indonesia, while it has recently launched in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia.
Aditya Goyal, Senior Vice President & GM, Strategic Distribution Partnerships, Glance says,“For carriers and smartphone brands, Glance is an opportunity to differentiate themselves and boost consumer engagement through a unique experience. The top six Android phone brands have integrated Glance on their smartphones in multiple markets globally and are using it to deliver personalized experiences for their consumers. We are excited to enable carriers and brands in Japan to provide this same innovative and captivating mobile experience to consumers here.”
Initially, Glance consumers in Japan will be able to discover news, trending content, and gaming on their lock screens. Content and experiences on Glance are powered by Japan’s biggest publishers, including Yahoo Japan Corporation (Partners of Yahoo! News), LINE Digital Frontier Corporation LINE Manga), dely Inc.（Kurashiru), Ikkyu Corporation (ikkyu.com), C Channel Corporation CHANNEL), SoftBank Corporation（Baseball LIVE, Basket LIVE), Mybest Inc.（mybest), AllAbout Inc (AllAbout).
For publishers such as these, Glance provides a new and exciting way to reach the right consumers at a large scale. Several other top publishers are expected to join the platform in the coming quarters.
Glance has established a strong team in Tokyo, led by Masato Ito, Head of Market Development Japan, demonstrating its commitment to the market. This team is expected to grow significantly in the coming quarters. The platform is also expanding its presence to other regions and aims to launch in the US soon. Glance is headquartered in Singapore and is funded by investors including Jio Platforms, Google, and Mithril Capital.
