You won't believe what ZTE is going to add to its phones

Smartphone manufacturer ZTE has partnered with Taboola and will be adding the latter's "news stories" to a special feed on a selection of its own handsets.

The articles will appear on a dedicated feed, accessed by swiping from the left of the main homescreen, although it's currently not clear which handsets will be given the Taboola treatment.

Taboola describes itself as a "discovery platform, serving recommendations of articles, blogs, videos, products and apps to users".

However, it is a platform famed for its sensationalized headlines - where do you think we got the inspiration for this article's headline?

Taboola is something that will be familiar to many as it's used by a huge amount of sites across the web, including TechRadar.

Taboola on your lock screen

Taboola on your lock screen

Good for ZTE, but is it good for the user?

The incentive for ZTE is clear. It opens up a new revenue stream for the firm, and at the end of the day business is about making money - however it's less clear to see where the real value is for users.

Taboola says that it uses "its personalization technology" and suggests articles that it feels will interest you, whether or not that is the case will be down to your penchant for clicking on headlines that are frequently sensational.

The type of headlines you are likely to see.

The type of headlines you are likely to see.

With example screenshots provided alongside the announcements it looks like Taboola will also push notifications to your lock screen - but hopefully this will be something that you'll be able to disable.

A ZTE spokesperson said "From the moment a user wakes their phone, they are looking to engage with something and we want that experience to be personalized and tailored for each user wherever they may be in their day."

We've already seen services offering a personalized experience on our phones in a panel to the side of the homescreen, including HTC's Blinkfeed and Google's Assistant feed that's built directly into Android - so ZTE isn't breaking any new ground here. 

We just hope the article recommendations are improved for this dedicated mobile experience.

Via Android Authority

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.