(NEXSTAR) — The billboard of the future may just be one unsuspecting tap away. Companies aren’t just competing to be in your social media feeds anymore — now their ads may show up right on your phone’s lock screen.
Glance, a lock screen ad group, is preparing to launch across U.S. Android lock screens in the next few months, tech outlet The Verge reports. Glance works like a real-time screen saver, automatically sending content to your phone every time it turns on.
According to its website, Glance content panels (called “glances”) includes news, entertainment and games. The company says it has over 200 million users across India and Southeast Asia. The company is already partnered with most Android smartphone makers in Asia, and is in talks with U.S. wireless carriers, TechCrunch says.
Google and Peter Thiel’s Mithril Capital are investors in the company, which doesn’t have a traditional app but instead is built in to Android’s software. Glance, which is headquartered in Singapore, has worked with several major American companies, including Coca-Cola, Amazon, Netflix and KFC.
In addition to content that works similarly to ads on Instagram Stories and Snapchat, Glance collaborates with creators and brands for virtual events. Back in May, Glance launched its Glance LIVE Fest, which billed itself as “India’s largest digital carnival of live, interactive experiences.” The company says the event was available to over 70 million users.
Statista data shows on average, you’re unlocking your phone way more than you may realize. Latest research on unlocking indicates Gen Z smartphone users unlock 79 times per day and millennials unlock 63 times per day.
For now, iPhone users won’t be seeing Glance, though Apple recently overhauled lock screen programming to allow feature expansion.
Glance did not immediately respond for comment.