Well, I might have made up the last two “economic terms”, but I might as well send them to the dictionary because they feel real! It’s the world we live in right now…
it has become the backbone of today’s internet because it literally helps keep websites alive. They are business, after all! Online advertising includes product listing ads, display ads, demand-side platform ads, affiliate ads, native ads, social media ads, video ads, and email ads. You see them when you’re trying to book a vacation and you watch them on YouTube (they’re the reason YouTube is free).
the poll is waiting for you at the bottom of the page: Would you agree to have ads on your Android either iPhone lock screen if that makes it cheaper?
Of course, today we have replaced most of the websites with their dedicated apps, so that we can easily access them on our smartphones. With that, ads have also found their way into the apps we use. It could be Facebook and Instagram trying to sell you a new pair of Nikes or your favorite game trying to get you to download another game – it’s all ad space that other companies buy and use to prosper…
To sum up: Websites with ads – normal; apps with ads – also normal; TV channels with commercials – duh!; YouTube ads, sure.
But what if your iPhone or Android phone, which you already paid in full, also showed you system-wide ads? Yes, that’s a thing! Oh, and yes, it’s already been going on for years. But will it reach your phone?
We’ll see…
Android phones with ads exist and can be annoying: Samsung, Redmi, Poco, Realme…
Ads/recommendations in the European version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11. Screenshots courtesy of GSMArena.
The reason why I even decided to put this story together in the first place was a YouTube video I saw called “Best Ad-Free Smartphone Under 20,000 (INR)”. This turned out to be a bit of clickbaity as the ad-free phones weren’t really the focus of the video, but the idea is that nearly 100,000 (Indian) viewers clearly cared enough to click and watch.
This is because many budget and mid-range phones in parts of Asia, including India and China, come with ads!
If you want to get a better understanding of which phones come with what kind of ads in India, you can check out this helpful video from Geekyranjitwho is a smartphone enthusiast with many years of experience.
But in a nutshell, while budget and mid-range phones from brands like Nokia and Motorola come with no ads and mostly no bloatware (pre-installed apps and services), phones from Realme, Poco (Xiaomi), Redmi (Xiaomi) and even Samsung does not enjoy the same ad-free treatment in the Indian subcontinent.
According to Ranjit and Gadgets 360, the most annoying phones in terms of advertising come from Redmi (Xiaomi), which sells phones in Asia, but also in Europe. Ads on Redmi phones can be seen in Music, Themes, File Manager, Downloads, and Security & Apps. Ads are also present on European/Global versions of MIUI – Redmi skin over Android 12, but interestingly not on all phones. For example, as our colleagues at GSMArena found out, the Redmi Note 11 Pro does not have ads, but the Redmi Note 11 does.
Budget phones from Poco, Realme, and Samsung aren’t too bad in that regard, meaning they don’t necessarily show “ads.” That said, they do come with a ton of unwanted “nagware” in the form of notifications, pre-installed apps, browser pop-ups, and even new apps (that you don’t necessarily want or need) that arrive with OTA updates.
The good news for Asian and European customers is that many of these ad/nagware notifications can be turned off. The bad news is that this isn’t something the average person will know how to do, and even if they did, it would be far from a “one-click fix” – it’s not like putting your phone on silent.
Ads on iOS and Android: Apple and Samsung’s Last Resort to Cheap Phones?
One of the reasons budget phones sold in Asia and some parts of Europe may contain advertisements is that they are…cheaper. Plus, it turns out phone makers can get away with it.
Plus, it’s not like phone spam ads and notifications are (technically) forced on customers because you literally agree to have them when you set up your phone. For example, that’s the case with budget Galaxy devices (mainly M-series) that ask you to create a Samsung account during setup (which in turn can overwhelm you with notifications later on).
Phones from Apple, Samsung, and Google already show you “ads” that don’t necessarily look like “ads.”
But what about “western” or flagship phones from brands like Apple, Samsung, Google, etc.? Well, even if you don’t realize it, the big manufacturers have found ways to monetize their software space even without showing you “direct ads”.
For example, Samsung partners with Microsoft, which means that all Samsung phones come pre-installed with MS Office. Sure, pre-installed apps technically fall under the “bloatware” category and of course can be uninstalled, but aren’t they a way to advertise a product or service? You do the thinking.
Apple, Samsung and Google have no ads. They have alternative ad solutions.
Plus, Samsung, Apple, and Google make sure to fill their phones with a bunch of their own apps, which aren’t necessarily essential to the iPhone, Galaxy, or Pixel. For example, on iPhone, these apps are Music, Podcast, Mail, Maps, TV, Clock, and News, among others.
What is Glance? Is it about to bring ads to your flagship Android phones in the US and/or elsewhere?
Do you want some cake? The look has you!
In case you missed it, Google-backed Glance could soon bring ads to your Android lock screen. Glance is a service/app that brings different widgets along with ads to your lock screen. It is backed by the InMobi group, an Indian multinational mobile ad technology company, which is reportedly in talks with US carriers to bring Glance to the US.
As Adrian mentioned in our Newsthese are ads that could be displayed directly on the lock screen of “several smartphone models for the next month,” according to an anonymous insider quoted by the ever-reliable TechCrunch publication.
Interestingly, the people of Glance responded quickly to the news. The company has reportedly confirmed that its services are targeting the US. However, Glance also wanted to clarify that it’s not looking to equip phones with an “ad platform.”
Glance is valued at $2 billion and has had over 100 million active users since its inception in 2020.
Bottom line: Would you agree to have ads on your Android or iPhone lock screen if it makes it cheaper?
Hey, maybe it can work like a Spotify subscription or like YouTube? Do you see some ads that you can ignore, but that reduce the price of your Galaxy S23 by $100? Or stop Apple from raising iPhone prices…
And speaking of subscription services, you’ll soon be able to subscribe to your iPhone. You are reading this correctly.
According to a long-time insider gurman brandApparently, Apple is preparing to launch a subscription program for iPhone buyers, which means you’ll soon be able to pay for your iPhone the same way you pay for your Apple Music or Spotify subscription. According to Gurman, the iPhone subscription service would be different from standard “installment plans” because it would come with a flat monthly fee, depending on which iPhone model you choose to “subscribe to,” rather than “buy.” now” hardware value.
“Apple’s business model is changing from one that maximizes hardware shipment growth to one that maximizes monetization of the installed base.”
Erik Woodring, quoted by Bloomberg
To make the program more attractive, Apple is expected to bundle the hardware subscription service with its existing paid services such as Apple Music, Apple TV, iCloud and even AppleCare. To me, this so-called iPhone subscription plan sounds like a replacement for Apple’s existing iPhone upgrade program, but we’ll see. Gurman says the services should launch sometime in 2023. Regardless, whether it’s announcements that could fill your lock screen or new forms of hardware subscriptions for your iPhone or Android, it sounds like that might be the direction you’re headed. we are moving.
Loans, monthly plans, and subscriptions have been people’s preferred way of spreading costs for a while, but today’s economy is just as tough as it’s ever been. Also, we are much more willing to subscribe to something than to pay for it in full. Sure, Netflix is losing subscribers, but that’s because you can share your Netflix account. You won’t be able to share your iPhone with someone, right?