Facebook today announced the launch of Instagram Lite for Android to Sub-Saharan Africa and other emerging markets; the new version is less than 2 MB in size, fast to install and works well across all network conditions.
Explaining 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.”
The new version has improved speed, performance and responsiveness. It works similarly to the Instagram app for Android and allows the Instagram experience to remain fast and reliable, no matter what device, platform and network they use.
“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,” Shin added.
The features not currently supported are: 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.
