- Instagram Lite needs just 2 MB data to be downloaded.
- Reels and IGTV get omitted from the app.
- The app will support regional languages.
Facebook owned photo sharing app Instagram rolling out a new Lite version of Instagram app to Indian smartphone. The new lighter version will be made available for Android users in India before a global rollout. The announcement was made first at the "Facebook Fuel For India" virtual event.
The size of app is really small, less than 2MB to provide the core Instagram experience that will be able to run fast and smooth on low powered smartphones.
It targets those who face Internet issues as a result of low memory phones and heavy-sized apps. The app is made for Android and this new version has improved speed, performance, and responsiveness.
"India is such an important country for us and has been a testing ground for innovation, thanks to the natural creativity and entrepreneurial spirit we see here," said Vishal Shah, Vice President of Product, Instagram at Facebook.The new Instagram Lite app will be great for phones with low amounts of RAM and storage, which is quite common in many smartphones in India. Some of the core features such as Reels, Shopping and IGTV are missing currently, otherwise, the app should be quite similar to the fully-featured app.
The app is available for download for Android users in India from the Google Play Store and will roll out globally soon. Regarding regional languages, it currently supports Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu.