Instagram Lite launches quietly to find a billion more users abroad – TechCrunch



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Instagram future growth depends on the developing world, so he built a version of his application just for them. "Instagram Lite" for Android has appeared today in the Google Play App Store without any announcement from the company. "The Instagram Lite app is small, allowing you to save space on your phone and download it quickly," reads the description.

At just 573 kilobytes, Instagram Lite is 1 / 55th the size of the main 32 megabyte Instagram application. It allows you to filter and post photos on the feed or stories, watch stories and browse the Explorer page, but it currently lacks options for sharing videos or direct message friends.

Instagram Lite solves many common problems among mobile users in the developing world who often use older phones with less storage space, slower network connections or who can not afford large data packets. Users may not have to delete photos or other apps to install Instagram Lite, or wait a long time and pay more for the download.

Screenshots of Instagram Lite

This publication follows the new mobile Instagram site launched last month, also designed for the developing world. At the time, I wrote: "The launch raises the question of whether Instagram will release an Instagram Lite version of its native application." The answer is yes. The Sensor Tower mobile badysis service has announced the release of TechCrunch.

When asked to comment, an Instagram spokesperson confirmed that Instagram Lite began testing this week in Mexico and said, "We are testing a new version of the program." Instagram for Android that takes up less space on your device, uses less data and starts faster. "

The "Lite" trend has picked up steam recently. Facebook launched Facebook Lite in 2015, and it had 200 million users in 2017. This paved the way for the launch of Messenger Lite in April 2018, and Uber followed the strategy with the release of its own Lite app plus early this month. Users clearly want Instagram Lite, from a fake / unofficial Facebook page with that has accumulated more than 2000 Likes.

Instagram announced last week at the IGTV unveiling that it had reached 1 billion active users a month. It has grown to about 100 million users every four months, much of which comes from the developing world. Snapchat has neglected international markets to focus on American teens, leaving the door open to Instagram and WhatsApp's Snapchat Stories clones to attract large user bases in countries like India and Brazil .

With this new growth tool in its reach, Instagram could see even faster adoption in emerging markets. It could mark advertising revenue directly from Lite, and then, as the phones and networks improve, hope to move users to the high fidelity version. Now, the eyes will be on Snapchat to see if it's building its own Lite app. Otherwise, he may continue to slide behind the juggernaut of Instagram.

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