Much like how Amazon offers discounted devices in the US, British smartphone maker Wileyfox has taken a leaf out of this book and started offering an up to 43 percent discount on its devices as well. The aforementioned discount can be had if you allow the company to display prominent advertisements on your lock screen.
The software, which is called Add-X, will be installed on devices that have been discounted and will display ads and offers from companies like Dominos, Starbucks, and Ministry of Sound. However, the inclusion of said adware will not affect the device in any way, reportedly offering much of the same experience that the stock version does.
Wileyfox will discount its range as follows:
- Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus: £189 without ads, or £119 with ads
- Wileyfox Swift 2: £159 without ads, or £99 with ads
- Wileyfox Spark X: £139 without ads, or £79 with ads
- Wileyfox Spark Plus: £119 without ads, or £69 with ads
If you for some reason decide to have these removed, the company will charge a £40 ($54) fee, after which an update will be pushed that will disable the Add-X platform. This will reportedly happen within 24 hours but can take up to two days. Much like any other advertising platform, these ads will be tailored to your usage patterns. The service will use your gender and date of birth to display relevant advertisements and offers.
Recently, Google updated its developer policies noting that any app that pushed ads to the lock screen will be banned by the company on Android, unless the app is built specifically as a lock screen replacement. However, Wileyfox noted that this will not have an effect on its offer, since the add-on is not an app.
The Wileyfox Add-X range can be viewed here.
Source and image: TechRadar