Instagram is launching its own Lite version for Android, the app allows you to consume less data and also less battery but does not have all the classic features
With a market value that travels towards $100 billion and the goal of reaching 2 billion unique monthly users within a few years, Instagram is without a shadow of a doubt one of the "success stories" of the social media world in recent years. A result that the Facebook-owned platform tries to achieve by following a diversified strategy.
On the one hand, Instagram is introducing many new features designed to attract more users - see, for example, IGTV, Instagram's vertical TV, or video chats for up to four users - on the other hand, it tries to expand into emerging markets by introducing a new version of its app, much lighter than the "official" one. The new Instagram Lite, weighing just 1/55 compared to the regular version, can be installed even on older Android smartphones, without suffering slowdowns of any kind.
What is Instagram Lite
Instagram Lite is available to all Android users on the Google Play Store. It's a version of the famous social media for photos designed for those slightly outdated devices that don't work well with the latest versions of Instagram due to some incompatibilities between the old operating system and the new functions of the platform. In addition to helping users with a phone a few years ago Instagram Lite can be a viable alternative for all those who have a smartphone with little internal memory or for those who own a device that has the storage space clogged with photos or other applications.
How Instagram Lite works
To be lighter, weighing less than 1 megabyte, Instagram Lite does not have all the functions that we can currently use in the classic version of the social media for photos. We will still be able to post photos, look at those posted by our friends, post a new Story or look at those posted by our contacts and even browse through the content posted in the Explore section. However, you will not be able to share videos or send messages via direct to friends. In addition, Instagram Lite having fewer functions consumes less Internet data and also slightly less smartphone battery. It is not yet clear whether ads will be present or not on the application.
At the moment Instagram Lite is being tested only for some users, especially in certain countries where the Internet speed and the type of smartphone on the market is not yet developed as in Europe or the United States. Instagram has already tested the lite version in Mexico and will soon release it in India and Brazil and then expand to all countries.