Instagram Lite: Tiny version of app quietly launches on Google Play
The new Instagram app should be easier to use for people with low data or poor storage
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Your support makes all the difference.Instagram has launched a new lightweight version of its app called Instagram Lite, aimed at extending the Facebook-owned firm's global domination to emerging markets.
The new Android app will be just 573 Kilobytes – 1/55th of the size of the standard 30 Megabyte Instagram app – allowing people who have limited data or storage space on their device to use it.
Instagram Lite appeared on Google Play on Wednesday, 27 June, however no major announcement was issued by the popular photo-sharing platform.
The app's Google Play description states: "The Instagram Lite app is small, allowing you to save space on your phone and download it quickly... Join the community of over one billion people and express yourself by sharing all the moments of your day – the highlights and everything in between, too."
An Instagram spokesperson confirmed that Instagram Lite was rolled out in Mexico earlier this week, ahead of a wider launch set to take place later this year.
"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 spokesperson said.
The new app contains many of the same features as its more-established counterpart, such as stories, filters and access to the Instagram feed. There is currently no messaging functionality but this is expected to be added at a later date.
To run it, people will need a smartphone running Android 5.0 or above. The mobile operating system, dubbed Android Lollipop, was launched in 2014 but older phones are able to support it through software updates.
The new app follows the recent launch of Instagram's "most exciting feature to date": A devoted video app called IGTV.
The video app is intended to offer a place for people to watch longer content but will primarily by filled with videos from celebrities like Kim Kardashian West and Selena Gomez. Unfortunately for users of Instagram Lite, the new app will be unable to support IGTV.
Facebook has previously targeted user growth in the developing world with the launch of its Facebook Lite app in 2015, which similarly makes the social network accessible to people with older phones, less storage or data, and poor connection.
The success of Facebook Lite – it has more than 200 million users worldwide – led to the roll-out of Messenger Lite in April 2018.
Depending on the success of Messenger Lite and Instagram Lite, other popular messaging apps like Snapchat may seek to launch their own lightweight versions.
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