What if your iPhone or Android phone, which you have already paid for in full, also shows you ads throughout the system?
Online Advertising has become the backbone of today’s internet because it literally keeps websites alive. After all, they are companies! Online advertising includes product information ads, display ads, demand-side platform ads, affiliate ads, native ads, social media ads, video ads, and email ads. You see them when you try to book a vacation and you see them on YouTube (they’re why YouTube is free).
That’s because many budget and mid-range phones come with ads in parts of Asia, including India and China!
If you want to better understand which phones come with what kind of advertising in India, you can check this helpful video by Geekyranjit, a smartphone enthusiast with years of experience.
In short, although budget and mid-range phones from brands like Nokia and Motorola come with no ads and mostly no bloatware (preinstalled apps and services), phones from Realme, Poco (Xiaomi), Redmi (Xiaomi) and even Samsung are enjoying on the Indian subcontinent doesn’t get the same ad-free treatment.
According to Ranjit and Gadgets 360, the most promotionally annoying phones 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 & Security and Apps. Ads are also present in the European/Global versions of MIUI – Redmi’s skin on Android 12, but interestingly not on all phones. For example, as our colleagues from GSMArena noticed, the Redmi Note 11 Pro doesn’t have ads, but the Redmi Note 11 does.
Budget phones from Poco, Realme, and Samsung aren’t quite as bad in this regard, meaning they won’t necessarily show you “ads”. Apart from that, they come with loads of unwanted “nagware” in the form of notifications, pre-installed apps, browser pop-ups, and even new apps (which you might not necessarily want or need) that arrive with OTA updates.
The good news for Asian and European customers is that many of these promotional/nagware notifications can be turned off. The bad news is that this isn’t something the average person can do, and even if they did know, this would be far from a “one-click fix” – it’s not like opening your phone mute.
Ads in iOS and Android: Apple and Samsung’s last resort to make phones cheaper?
One reason budget phones sold in Asia and some parts of Europe may contain advertising is that they are…cheaper. As it turns out, phone makers can get away with that too.
Additionally, it’s not like unsolicited phone solicitations and notifications are (technically) forced on customers because you literally agree to have them when you set up your phone. This is the case, for example, with budget Galaxy devices (mostly the M series), which ask you to create a Samsung account during setup (which can later bombard you with notifications).
Apple, Samsung, and Google phones already show you “ads,” which don’t necessarily look like “ads.”
But what about “western” or flagship phones from brands like Apple, Samsung, Google, etc.? Well, while you may not realize it, major manufacturers have found ways to monetize their software divisions without showing you “in-your-face ads.” For example, Samsung works with Microsoft, which means that every Samsung phone comes pre-installed with MS Office. Sure, preinstalled apps technically fall into the “bloatware” category and can of course be uninstalled, but aren’t they a way of promoting a product/service? You think.
Apple, Samsung and Google have no advertising. They have Workarounds for Ads.
On top of that, Samsung, Apple, and Google make sure to pump up their phones with a ton of their own apps that aren’t essential for the iPhone, Galaxy, or Pixel. For example, on iPhone, these apps include Music, Podcasts, Mail, Maps, TV, Clock, and News.
What is Glance and will it bring ads to your flagship Android phones in the US and/or elsewhere?
want some cake The look has you!
In case you missed it, Google-powered Glance could soon bring ads to your Android lock screen. Glance is a service/app that puts various widgets on your lock screen alongside ads. It’s backed by InMobi Group, an Indian multinational mobile advertising technology company that’s reportedly in talks with US carriers to bring Glance to the US.
As Adrian mentioned in our News, these are ads that could appear right on the lock screen of “several smartphone models by next month,” according to an anonymous source inside, cited by the always-reliable publication TechCrunch.
Interestingly, the folks at Glance were quick to respond to the news. The company has reportedly confirmed that its services are indeed going to the US. However, Glance also wanted to make it clear that it’s not about putting an “advertising platform” on phones.
Glance is valued at $2 billion and has over 100 million active users since its inception in 2020.
Glance’s mission as a company is to “make your lock screen a lock screen that’s boring” by showing you news, media content, and games alongside ads for sales at your local restaurants and shops, as shown in This video.
In the end: would you agree to having ads on your Android or iPhone lock screen if it made it cheaper?
Hey, maybe it works as a Spotify subscription or as a YouTube? You see some ads that you can ignore, but that will drop the price of your Galaxy S23 by $100? Or it stops Apple from raising iPhone prices…
According to longtime tipster Mark Gurman, Apple appears to be 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 differ from the standard “rate-based plans” because it would be offered at a fixed monthly fee based on the iPhone model you choose to “subscribe to” as opposed to its “purchase.” now” hardware value.
“Apple’s business model is changing from one that maximizes growth in hardware shipments to one that maximizes monetization of the installed base.”
Erik Woodring quoted by Bloomberg
To make the program more attractive, Apple is expected to combine the hardware subscription service with its existing paid services like Apple Music, Apple TV, iCloud and even AppleCare. To me, this supposed iPhone subscription plan sounds like a replacement for Apple’s existing iPhone upgrade program, but we’ll see. Gurman says the services should start sometime in 2023. Whether it’s ads that could fill your lock screen or new forms of hardware subscriptions for your iPhone or Android, it seems like this could be the direction we’re headed.
Loans, monthly plans, and subscriptions have been the preferred mode of cost allocation for some time, but the current economic situation is as difficult as it has been. Also, we’re much more willing to subscribe to something than pay for it in full. Sure, Netflix is losing subscribers, but that’s because you can share your Netflix account. You can’t share your iPhone with anyone, can you?