ByteDance accelerates cooperation with multiple AI smartphone manufacturers!

On December 19, 2025, Interface News exclusively learned that ByteDance is actively promoting AI smartphone cooperation with hardware manufacturers such as Vivo, Lenovo, and Transsion. The plan is to pre install AIGC plugins on the cooperating devices to gain user access and reverse the current passive situation of AI business at the execution level. Several internal employees of vivo have confirmed to Interface News that both parties have confirmed their intention to cooperate and are currently in negotiations on specific details of the cooperation.

Regarding the above cooperation news, Interface News has been sent to ByteDance vivo、 Lenovo, Transsion and other involved companies initiated verification. As of press time, all verified manufacturers have not responded to this.

According to Interface News, vivo had previously sought deep cooperation with Tencent on AI big models, but ultimately failed to reach an agreement due to the inability to find a suitable commercialization path, with high token costs being one of the core issues. At the same time, due to the slower than expected progress of AI business promotion, vivo has further expressed its willingness to cooperate with manufacturers such as ByteDance, hoping to use external forces to promote the landing of AI business.

Insiders revealed to Interface News that ByteDance's core strategy for promoting this AI mobile phone cooperation is not short-term business growth, but to build a new path for traffic monetization, while driving mobile phone manufacturers to participate in revenue sharing in traffic distribution, member subscriptions, and other aspects. The cooperation model currently being discussed by both parties is quite attractive, including waiving customized development fees, not charging token sales revenue, and transferring some secondary traffic revenue to mobile phone manufacturers. However, the relevant cooperation plan is still in the early stages of discussion and has not yet been finalized.

The insider further stated that ByteDance's initial plan is to focus on mid-range models priced over 2000 yuan, first collaborating with mobile phone manufacturers to launch new models equipped with relevant AIGC plugins, and then extending the functionality to other existing models through OTA (system upgrade). Its goal is to compete with other internet vendors after the user base exceeds 150-200 million. In terms of channel selection, the person believes that ByteDance's current advantage channels are concentrated in overseas markets, and this AI smartphone related cooperation is likely to prioritize overseas layout.

According to informed sources, the AI mobile phone project has been listed as a key internal promotion project of ByteDance, with teams of over 500 people each in the system department and annotation department alone. It is worth noting that ByteDance had previously communicated with OPPO about related cooperation, but was rejected by OPPO.

Looking back at previous information, ByteDance has stated in response to media inquiries that its AI product, Doubao, is in talks with multiple mobile phone manufacturers for cooperation in the assistant category, and has explicitly denied plans to independently develop mobile phones. At that time, the only officially disclosed cooperative manufacturer was ZTE smartphones. Afterwards, Meizu Technology took the initiative to send a cooperation invitation to the "Bean Pack" team under ByteDance, clearly expressing its willingness to "look forward to in-depth cooperation and co create more user-friendly AI phones".