Facebook brings 2MB Instagram Lite app to 170 more countries

Posted on by Prakhar Khanna

Facebook first started testing Instagram Lite app in June 2018 in some parts of the world. The app was shut down in September 2020 but was soon resurrected later in the year. Now, in the first half of 2021, Facebook is bringing its 2MB Instagram Lite app to 170 more countries. It was recently launched in India to bring the core Instagram experience to people who are unfamiliar with the app. The app will be rolled out globally soon.

“During the past year, Instagram has become a lifeline for many to connect with loved ones or find a small moment of inspiration, be it a photo of a friend’s newborn or a video of puppies discovering snow,” Facebook wrote in a blog post.

The app is targeted towards the regions which do not possess the most up-to-date mobile devices, robust internet networks, or affordable data plans needed for the swift delivery of the data-rich videos and images found on Instagram.

“Our teams build these lightweight versions of our apps for people with low connectivity or limited data plans because our basic premise is to leave no one behind,” adds Tzach Hadar, Director of Product Management at Facebook Tel Aviv, one of the largest strategic engineering hubs for Facebook globally. “We wanted the Instagram experience to remain fast, high-quality, and reliable, irrespective of the device, platform, and network people are on.”

The 2MB Instagram Lite app retains the key features that people using entry-level devices want. Facebook says that its team focused on what people valued most, namely video and messaging. To keep the performance on this Lite app reliable, Facebook removed much of the ornate, data-rich animation, such as cube transitions and the AR filters people can apply to faces. It kept features that could deliver joy with less data, like GIFs and stickers.

For reference, when Instagram Lite launched in India, it didn’t have the Reels option. However, Facebook recently introduced Reels to the Lite app. That said, you still cannot create Reels on the Instagram Lite app but you can only view them.

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Instagram rolls out its TikTok-clone, Reels to the Lite app

Posted on by Prakhar Khanna

Instagram Lite debuted in June 2018 but was shut down in May 2020. It came back in September 2020, and soon after rolled out in India. The Instagram Lite app ditched IGTV, Shop and Reels features from the main app. Now, the company is rolling out a new update, which adds Reels to the Instagram Lite app.

Instagram Lite has been created to bring the core Instagram experience to people who are unfamiliar with the app. The app was rolled out without the support for Reels, Instagram’s answer to TikTok. Plus, there is no Shop or IGTV. Moreover, the app has the old layout with the search tab at the bottom, which was recently replaced by the Reels tab. 

However, things are changing now. The 2MB version of the Instagram app is adding the Reels feature in India. It will allow Indian users to watch the popular short-format videos in the Reels tab. That said, Instagram Lite users will not be able to create Reels on the app. The Lite app is available in multiple regional languages, including Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu.

In a statement regarding the update, Facebook said, “Now with this update, everyone using the Instagram Lite app in India will be able to view Reels with the Reels tab. This feature was expedited for India because of the traction Reels is seeing in India, and the early adoption of the new Instagram Lite app.”

Instagram recently announced that it will stop promoting Reels with TikTok watermarks. It rolled out guidelines that advised against uploading recycled videos (lifted from the likes of TikTok) with a visible logo or watermark.

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Instagram Lite debuts in India

Posted on by Prakhar Khanna

Instagram Lute was launched in June 2018 in some parts of the world. Back in May, it was shut down but it came back in September 2020. Now, the company has launched its Lite variant in India. It comes as good news for those of us who haven’t gotten used to the new home tab layout and want the old one to come back. Moreover, Instagram Lite doesn’t have the Shop and Reels buttons in the navigation bar.

The new app is less than 2MB in size. It has been created to bring the core Instagram experience to people who are unfamiliar with the app. As per Instagram, it conducted a research in India earlier this year to ascertain the attractiveness and comprehension of new products. It observed that there was a common barrier of ‘compromised internet experience’ because of low memory phones and heavy apps. India is primarily a test country for Instagram Lite. The app is only available on the Google Play Store for now.

I downloaded the app, and while the core experience is similar to the main Instagram app, several new features are missing. For instance, there is no support for Reels, Instagram’s answer to TikTok. Plus, there is no Shop or IGTV. Moreover, the navigation bar has the old layout with the search tab at the bottom, which was recently replaced by the Reels tab. Essentially, Instagram Lite is the old version of Instagram. Additionally, it doesn’t support some stickers like the ‘Ask me Anything’ one.

Instagram Lite will be available in Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. The company has also announced the second version of ‘Born on Instagram’ which is aimed at providing collaboration and mentorship opportunities to content creators. The new developments were announced a the two-day Facebook Fuel for India event.

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