Rumor: HTC will advertise BlinkFeed

HTC is going to put sponsored content in its news app BlinkFeed. At least that’s what the Chinese twitterer Upleaks claims. He posted a photo of a slide that appears to have come from HTC, with the plan to show ads.

Upleaks, which more often leak correct information about HTC, showed on the social network an image of a slide that appears to be from HTC. The plan to provide BlinkFeed with advertisements is then explained.

First of all, app ads should generate revenue; at the touch of a button, users can download apps from the Google Play Store via BlinkFeed. In addition, there should be ‘auto promotions’ for HTC’s own products, accessories and services and partner companies, in order to boost sales. For example, the image from Upleaks shows an ad for HTC’s Re Camera. By pressing that, users will be taken to HTC’s web store. Except for a small sponsored decal, there’s very little difference between ads and regular content.

BlinkFeed is part of HTC Sense Home, an app that is included on many HTC devices. BlinkFeed displays a personalized news feed on the phone’s home screen. Previously, BlinkFeed did not show users ads. Ever since HTC Sense Home was updated a few days ago, users have reported seeing restaurant suggestions from review site Yelp, which cannot be turned off. According to Upleaks, the latest version of HTC Sense Home, with version number 7.1, is indeed already equipped with an advertising framework.