Advertising in apps is commonplace these days, but few people have had to deal with ads baked into their phone's operating system. That could be changing for millions of people.
The Nothing phone, an Android phone that made its debut in 2022 and has been embraced by people looking for a low-cost or minimalist smartphone, is now displaying ads on the phone's lock screen. The ads were included in a recent update to the operating system.
While the Nothing phone is hardly a common smartphone for Americans, the company crossed $1 billion in lifetime sales last year and has sold more than 7 million devices. It's particularly popular in India, but does have U.S. users.
The lock screen ads feature content that links to sites. So, for instance, a picture of a pool could lead to a landscaping company or post about pool safety.
The feature currently defaults to off in the phone's settings, but that might not always be the case. "Moving forward, on select non-flagship devices, we'll start including a carefully considered selection of third-party apps and services that don't disrupt the Nothing OS experience you love," Nothing posted to its site.
The company, in that same post, discussed its "razor-thin margins" and "need to explore sustainable revenue models." However, Nothing said it would give users "full control over features like Lock Glimpse" moving forward, though it did not rule out making the lock screen ads the default feature of the phone.
Nothing isn't the first phone maker to put ads on its lock screen. Motorola does so with several low-cost models. The company has faced more pushback, however, both from sites that focus on smartphones and users.