Japanese carrier KDDI now pushing ads to Android notification bar
For many Android users, so-called bloatware is the bane of their existence. Carrier-crafted apps and game demos crowd their applications drawer and perhaps even collect data behind users’ backs. As intrusive as that sounds, nothing is quite as bad as what subscribers to Japan’s KDDI have coming. Through their pre-installed Android Market alternative, KDDI is pushing ads directly to the Android notification bar, complete with an alert.
The concept is similar to propositions by the likes of AirPush and SlingLabs that allow developers to place notification bar ads in their applications, except the KDDI market isn’t so easily uninstalled. We can’t speak for how the move will go over in Japan, but the contingent of Android fans in the US will surely want nothing to do with this sort of advertising directly from the carrier. If AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile (or even Google directly) are so bold as to follow in KDDI’s footsteps, the response will be anything but kind from users.