ByteDance forges deep AI partnerships with Vivo, Lenovo, and Transsion for On-device AIGC integration

ByteDance is accelerating strategic collaborations with leading smartphone makers—including vivo, Lenovo, and Transsion—to embed its generative AI capabilities directly into mobile operating systems. The company plans to preinstall its AIGC-powered assistant, Doubao (Doubao Mobile Agent), as a system-level plugin, aiming to secure a critical AI traffic gateway and shift from passive model deployment to active user engagement.

Multiple vivo insiders have confirmed that the partnership is finalized, with teams now negotiating implementation details.

At the heart of ByteDance’s strategy is an unusually generous revenue-sharing model. Rather than charging OEMs for custom development or taking a cut from token usage—as has been common in past AI integrations—ByteDance is offering to waive all upfront fees and instead share revenue from traffic monetization, premium subscriptions, and “secondary traffic” (e.g., user referrals or in-app conversions).

This approach directly addresses a key pain point for manufacturers. Previous efforts, such as vivo’s stalled collaboration with Tencent, faltered due to high token costs and unclear monetization paths. ByteDance’s profit-sharing pivot offers a compelling alternative for brands like vivo and Transsion, which are eager to enhance their AI competitiveness without bearing unsustainable operational burdens.

By aligning incentives and embedding Doubao at the OS level, ByteDance is positioning itself not just as a model provider—but as a co-architect of the next-generation AI-native mobile experience.