Instagram Lite Makes A Quiet Debut; But Not Yet Out for India
Jun. 28, 2018With Instagram’s skyrocketing popularity in most mature markets, the company is now looking to court new users in developing countries. And to do so, it’s followingFacebook’s leadand has now quietly launched ‘Instagram Lite’ app for Android.
Instagram hasn’t officially announced the Lite app for Android but we can see it listed on theGoogle Play Store.Instagram Lite is said to be only 573 KB in size as compared to the around 32MB packageof the main Instagram app.
Even so, it’s not a stripped down version of the full app. It is quite feature-packed and lets you do most of the things you can do with the full Instagram app anyway, such as filters, edits, uploads, Stories, and of course the Explore section. It is, however, not possible to post videos or send direct messages, but the company plans to add that in the coming updates.
Instagram Lite is currently being tested only in Mexicoand is not yet widely launched. In a statement toTechCrunch, an Instagram spokesperson confirmed the tests and said,‘we are testing a new version of Instagram for Android that takes up less space on your device, uses less data, and starts faster.’
The Lite apps (and Google’s Go apps) are designed such that they not only take less space on your device but also consume less data, making it simpler for users who cannot afford high-value data packages to also enjoy the service. Many popular tech giants such asOla,Uber, Google, and Facebook have resorted to Lite apps to target users in emerging markets.
