Samsung Teams Up with Glance to Use Your Face in AI-Generated Lock Screen Ads

Posted3 months agoActive3 months ago

nreece

19 points

14 comments

arstechnica.comTechstory

skepticalnegative

Debate

60/100

AI-Generated AdsData PrivacyMobile Advertising

Key topics

AI-Generated Ads

Data Privacy

Mobile Advertising

Samsung partners with Glance to display AI-generated lock screen ads that use users' faces, sparking concerns about data privacy and invasive advertising; commenters debate the implications and potential consequences of such a feature.

Snapshot generated from the HN discussion

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First comment

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0-6h

Avg / period

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01Story posted
Oct 17, 2025 at 10:20 AM EDT
3 months ago
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02First comment
Oct 17, 2025 at 10:35 AM EDT
15m after posting
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03Peak activity
9 comments in 0-6h
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04Latest activity
Oct 20, 2025 at 3:53 PM EDT
3 months ago
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Discussion (14 comments)

Showing 14 comments

kirito1337

3 months ago

1 reply

aouch, my ugly face is definetly not gonna be used.

codedokode

3 months ago

Do not undervalue yourself. It can help discourage using competitor's product then.

wkat4242

3 months ago

2 replies

Wow creepy alert. How do they think this is even remotely ok??

gdulli

3 months ago

2 replies

It's opt-in, isn't that what we want for these things? I'll never have to use it. I don't get it but I wouldn't say it's creepy, I won't judge people who like different apps than I do.

smlavine

3 months ago

1 reply

On my Moto G, Glance keeps getting re-enabled every month or so even after I disable it every time. Annoying.

gdulli

3 months ago

1 reply

What does "re-enabled" mean in this context? Does it mean you disable the app at the Android OS level and then later it becomes not disabled but still inactive? Or does it mean that this feature/app actually becomes your lock screen again without you turning it on?

smlavine

3 months ago

It means that every now and then, the Glance weather widget will pop up. I'll click on it, then it will bring up the full UI and ask me if I actually want to use it. I click "Disable Smart Lock Screen" instead, then it goes away from my lock screen. For a while.

wkat4242

3 months ago

1 reply

Even if it's opt in it's preinstalled and gathering data. Just like all the upday and Facebook crap that Samsung installs on their phones even if you don't use it.

Also I don't think you can own trillions and not be a deeply evil person and I wouldn't want to be that.

gdulli

3 months ago

1 reply

Do we know that it's gathering data or is that FUD/paranoia?

I just got a new Samsung phone and I don't have Facebook on here, I must have uninstalled it immediately. It's not in the apps list but disabled, it's fully non present. Is there a reason to be upset about this?

wkat4242

3 months ago

Yes look under system apps. There's something like Facebook services that's not disabled and can't be removed from the UI. I don't remember the exact name because I uninstalled all the crap with adb.

But I think it's completely outrageous for a company to want to make money with my data on a device I paid for. Same with the TVs that take screenshots to see what you're watching.

herbst

3 months ago

Did you read the terms when you bought a Samsung device? Not saying it's ok, but appearantly this behaviour is for most people.

epakai

3 months ago

Utter trash. Motorola has broken the stock lock screen, and this is somehow part of it. I can no longer choose list style notifications, and viewing notifications on the lock screen requires an extra tap.

If you leave Glance enabled it also breaks your lock screen clock appearance, and forces a small clock pushed into the corner.

mr3martinis

3 months ago

I just left a company that’s enabling the preloads of this product and the ‘opt-in campaign’ will be full screen, aggressive, and difficult or impossible to stop depending on the device model.

JohnFen

3 months ago

Glance? That obnoxious spyware that should be amongst the very first thing that you remove or disable? Yeah, not in a million years.

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ID: 45617099Type: storyLast synced: 11/20/2025, 2:21:16 PM

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