Facebook has confirmed that, as of today, Instagram Lite is already available in 170 countries around the world for Android users and has promised that it will reach the rest of the markets "soon". The lightweight application of the social network had been launched in 2018 , but was withdrawn in May 2020 to create a new one that would improve the user experience.
The application, which has been being tested in recent weeks in some countries such as Brazil and India, allows you to use most of Instagram's functions, including Reels , using a small amount of data, which makes it ideal to be used in places with low internet connectivity.
Downloading Instagram Lite only requires 2MB of data, while the full version of Instagram uploads up to 30MB required for download. In it, most of the basic functionalities of Instagram are maintained, such as the possibility of publishing videos and the use of instant messaging.
The support for tools such as stickers or GIF files is maintained, which will continue to be used in the Lite version of the application, but for example, other elements that are "unnecessary" or an extra too heavy have been eliminated. For example, in Instagram Lite there is no support for Augmented Reality filters that users of the standard app can use in their Stories. Some icons whose use was not really necessary in order to maintain functions that could be basic and that allow you to enjoy an almost complete experience on Instagram have also been eliminated.
As Facebook recognizes, creating the "light" version of Instagram has not been easy due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced its developers to work remotely. Facebook teams in Tel Aviv (Israel) have coordinated the development of the application with company workers around the world. For the creation of Instagram Lite, the developers took as an example Facebook Lite, a lightweight application of the social network that was already launched years ago.