By Ahmed Rahma
Committed to improving and building its app, Facebook has announced the launch of the new version of Instagram Lite for Android with less than 2MB in size in Sub-Saharan Africa, making it fast to install and quick to load.
The lightweight version of the Instagram app for android which uses less data and has improved speed, performance, and responsiveness, has been reported to work well across all network conditions.
According to the social media networking service provider, the new version of the Instagram Lite not only work similarly to the Instagram app for Android, but remains fast and reliable for more people, no matter what device, platform and network they use.
Although the new app comes with great features, the company disclosed that some features are not currently supported on it, such as Reels creation, Shopping, and IGTV.
Instagram Lite is likely to gain appeal to users in locations with limited bandwidth or high data costs, especially in the developing world, it stated.
Commenting on the rationale for introducing the app to Sub-Saharan Africa, Engineering Manager for Instagram Lite, Peter Shin said, “Connectivity in the region can be unstable, slow and expensive, making it challenging for people to have a high-quality Instagram experience.
“Many people were already familiar with the concept of a Lite app after the successful roll-out of Facebook Lite some years ago.
“We started testing the new version of Instagram Lite when people across the continent started asking for a Lite app for Android.
“The feedback was very positive and we are excited to launch it across the continent today,” Mr Shin said.
Commenting further, he said, “Our team aims to leave no one behind, so today we are very excited to bring Instagram Lite to people in over 170 countries, including the entire Sub-Saharan Africa region.”
Instagram Lite is currently rolling out in over 170 countries and Facebook keeps showing its commitment to building and improving the app to help everyone in the world connect to the people and things they love.
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