Putting ads on the Android lock screen is a bad idea

The Android lock screen is a simple place. unlike iPhones where unlocking is a two-step process, Android lock screens aren’t really designed to give you a moment to pause. You probably have a android phone with a form of biometric authentication that bypasses even the lock screen altogether. At the most, you check the Always-On Display for notifications, widgets, and other quickly glaring information. I’m happy with that. On my Galaxy S20 Ultra, I set the lock screen to show things like now playing, weather, and notifications. That is it. But there are companies that are trying to make our lock screens busier. This is why it is a very bad idea.

Related: I prefer Android Face Unlock to Apple’s Face ID for one simple reason:

Who messes with the lock screen?

Last week, TechCrunch reported that Glance, a lock screen customization company, is in talks with US carriers to launch its services on Android phones in the country. Glance is essentially a total takeover of your lock screen. A space that most of us don’t spend too much time on anyway. But you see, something like Glance is designed for you to do just that: interact with your lock screen and potentially get redirected to different websites or the Google Play Store.

Glance promises to fill “screen zero” with “content for every interest”. What’s in it for them? If you haven’t guessed it yet, it’s the opportunity to earn money by running your ads.

While the company claims its lock screens are “designed to simplify your life” and show you “what you’ll like”, its primary purpose is advertising. Until last week, Glance’s homepage emphatically noted that it gives advertisers “unparalleled reach” and “authentic engagement”. After reports of the US launch surfaced and the subsequent response, the company quickly changed its tone and removed those phrases from its website. You can check the changes made thanks to Wayback Machine. We also took a screenshot of the page as it originally looked – you can see it below.

In addition to these trust-inspiring website changes, Glance recently posted a message saying it will be “a 100% opt-in platform in the US” and that “it is not an advertising platform.” It goes on to say that the “content and experiences are not generated by the consumer, but rather curated through partnerships with premium and trusted developers or media companies.” The company now advertises itself as a “smart surface, not an advertising platform,” but notes in the same breath that consumers “can buy products from sellers when the product of the day appears on the lock screen.”

Gloss isn’t new either. The Google-backed company has been around since 2019. It has even partnered with a number of smartphone OEMs, including Realme, Xiaomi, Motorola, and Samsung, to integrate the lock screen with their devices. You won’t see Glance everywhere on these brands’ devices, but if you’re in countries like India and Indonesia, you might have come across the lock screens on your Android phone. For reference, the feature is called “Realme Glance” or “Lock Screen Magazine” on Realme phones. On Xiaomi devices, it is displayed as “Wallpaper Carousel”.

Also read: The Best Cheap Android Phones You Can Buy

With carrier partnerships in the US, people may have no choice but to have crapware like this with their phones as standard. Who’s to say that in the future more companies like Glance won’t show up to contaminate our lock screens?

The harmful effects of a busy lock screen

For example, I like the idea of ​​constant change backgrounds or random live events playing on my lock screen, pretty annoying. In fact, everything on the lock screen is a hurdle to getting what I really want to do on my phone. Not only is the lock screen content intrusive, but it can also be unwanted. Especially if advertising agencies have something to do with it. The two images above are some examples of the type of ads that will appear on a platform like Glance – yes, these images are from the company’s own website.

Imagine you’re in a meeting and a random influencer selling lingerie shows up on your phone’s lock screen. Now I may be interested in buying good lingerie, but my lock screen is the last place I would want to sell that stuff. The internet has enough targeted advertisements. I don’t need to hijack a screen that I open at least a hundred times a day with content I have no control over.

Sometimes ads can also be quite deceptive. You know, the kind that sells one thing but shows what looks like a link to a pornographic website. Advertisers also resort to what is commonly known as commercial switcheroo – ads disguised as content but eventually selling you something like aspirin. Yeah, keep that stuff away from me, I’d say.

I’m not alone either. People actively sharing tips on the internet about “how to disable glance on my phone.” Reddit is also rife with users looking for ways to disable Glance altogether. Get on one of these topics reveals how, even after disabling Glance from a Realme phone’s settings, a service home page still appears on the lock screen. Complete removal requires knowledge of ADB commands, connecting your phone to a PC and following several steps. No matter how much money I pay for a phone, this is absolutely unacceptable to me.

I understand that smartphone OEMs, especially in price sensitive markets, need to run ads to compensate for the affordability of their devices. However, the lock screen full of unwanted content is not the way to go about it.

Lock screen content doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. Glance, or an equivalent lock screen content service, will constantly suck up cellular or Wi-Fi data. This may not be good for those with hard data limits. Unlike in India where I stay, unlimited data plans in the US are not exactly cheap. The cheapest one-line Verizon plan costs $70 per month, while T-Mobile‘s alternative will cost you $60 per month. These data plans can certainly be put to better use for more important things than lock screen content.

With all that data being consumed and the screen working overtime, the phone’s battery life would also take a hit. And don’t even get me started on the privacy nightmare, something like Glance poses. The service drums up the content, but in the background advertisers can target you using your interests, location, language, handset details, and more. This is another deal-breaker for me, if not one of the most important.