Lock screen ads on your phone? It's a tale as old as time, and unfortunately, it seems like Nothing, the smartphone company, is the latest to fall into this trap.
A recent beta update for Nothing OS 4.0 has introduced a new feature called "Lock Glimpse." And if the name alone gives you a bad feeling, you're not alone. Think of it as a rotating collection of wallpapers that appear every time you turn on your display, each with embedded content accessible via a link.
But why?
The new update, which is for Android 16 beta, is generating buzz because of this feature. Lock Glimpse appears to be a rotating collection of wallpapers that automatically cycle every time your display turns on, but each appears to include attached content available through an embedded link.
This is where things get controversial...
The feature is currently disabled by default. However, it still raises questions. Why include a feature that is likely to frustrate users?
On Twitter, @AnshuTechblog shared photos and videos of Lock Glimpse in action, and it sure seems like an ad-riddled feature. Each wallpaper includes text along the bottom that points to, say, a homemade strawberry ice cream recipe. Selecting this opens up a new article that Lock Glimpse’s settings describes as “captivating content.” That means each rotating image is, in effect, an ad for some kind of written content, and not just a standard wallpaper slideshow designed to refresh your device.
And this is the part most people miss...
The provider behind Nothing’s linked ads is Bouyan, a Chinese digital ad platform. It operates similarly to Glance, but the key difference is that Lock Glimpse is disabled by default in this initial patch.
The images themselves are also a point of interest. Some appear to be AI-generated, raising questions about the quality and authenticity of the content.
What do you think? Are you okay with lock screen ads, even if they're disabled by default? Do you think Nothing should remove this feature entirely? Share your thoughts in the comments!
