Look, which operates a well-liked lockscreen platform focusing on Android smartphones, is setting its sights on the U.S. market. The Indian startup not too long ago commenced a pilot program in partnership with Motorola and Verizon within the U.S., with plans for a full launch within the nation later this yr, sources accustomed to the matter informed TechCrunch.
The Bengaluru-headquartered startup, backed by buyers together with Google and Jio Platforms, has already made important inroads in India, Southeast Asia, and Japan, the place it expanded final yr. In accordance with an individual accustomed to the matter, Look’s lockscreen platform at present reaches greater than 450 million smartphones and is lively on about 300 million of them, delivering these prospects a personalized feed of stories, native occasions, sports activities updates, media content material, and interactive video games on to their lockscreens with out requiring them to put in further apps.
Look doesn’t gather private knowledge of customers, as an alternative counting on utilization patterns to tell its advice engine. A supply says that Look can also be working with Qualcomm to construct a novel AI-powered lockscreen expertise, and that if that partnership materializes, it would enable Look to considerably cut back the info it consumes for its personalised feed and in addition transfer a lot of the processing to on-device.
Within the U.S., Look doesn’t plan to show advertisements on the lockscreen, in accordance with one supply. Look ships pre-installed on units, however may be simply eliminated.
Android smartphone producers have confronted rising strain to spice up income in recent times amid fierce competitors and slim revenue margins on {hardware}. Initially, many of those corporations sought out new income streams to complement their core enterprise. Nonetheless, as Look’s lockscreen platform gained traction, a rising variety of smartphone makers have acknowledged its potential as a robust software for differentiation, trade executives say.
Certainly, lockscreens and different non-app screens have gotten essential actual property for smartphone distributors and types. “‘Surfaces’ exist even at present, pushed by 3 forms of gamers — OEM-driven, OS-driven, and surface-first innovation pushed,” BCG wrote in a current trade report. “Gamers like Look are essentially the most attention-grabbing of the lot w.r.t. innovation in AI deployed, to serve related content material for a consumer each single time.”
Within the U.S., the eponymous startup plans to tie-up with extra telecom operators, in addition to manufacturers together with CNN and the NBA, sources stated, requesting anonymity as the main points are non-public. The not too long ago launched Moto G Energy smartphone within the U.S. shipped with Look’s platform. A Look spokesperson declined to remark.
Look has been eyeing to launch within the U.S. for not less than two years, TechCrunch earlier reported. It’s not clear why it didn’t launch within the U.S. sooner.
The Indian startup’s lockscreen know-how has already confirmed profitable in driving consumer engagement and app installations for model companions. A nine-week partnership with Indian streaming service JioCinema final yr resulted in 9 million incremental app installs from over 100 million distinctive impressions, BCG wrote. The marketing campaign additionally focused dormant customers, resulting in a 12.5% improve in app opens and changing the set up base into day by day lively customers, the report added.
