InMobi’s Glance takes its smart lock screen services to Japan
Glance, a smart lock screen platform from InMobi, is launching in Japan. It will partner with leading telecom carriers and Android smartphone brands in the country, Piyush Shah, president of Glance, told ET.
Singapore-headquartered Glance has already expanded in Indonesia and is now eyeing the US market.
It recently launched in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.
The platform’s more than 230 million users are primarily in India and Indonesia.
In Japan, Glance is already available to subscribers of SoftBank Corp using Xiaomi (Redmi Note 9T Redmi Note 10T, and 12T Pro) and Motorola (Moto G53y 5G) smartphones.
In the coming quarters, the company aims to expand its presence to other big carriers and Android smartphone brands in Japan, said Shah, who is also the COO of Glance and a cofounder of InMobi.
On the Japanese market, Shah said, «It is one of the most advanced telecom markets. It saw 5G much earlier than other markets and it is now coming to 6G.»
Content and experiences on Glance are powered by Japan’s biggest publishers.
Several other top publishers are expected to join the platform in the coming quarters.
Glance has established a team in Tokyo, which is being led by Masato Ito, head of market development for Japan. The team is expected to grow significantly in the coming quarters.
On competition in Japan, Masato said, «There are some OEM devices that have some type of lock screen platforms, but, compared to Glance, our experience is much more evolved.
Our service is much deeper, of a higher quality, and high standards. As of now, I can say that we don’t have any direct competitors in Japan.»
Apple-dominated market
A challenge for Glance, however, will be the fact that more people prefer Apple's iPhones over Android phones.
