Instagram Lite, the lightweight version of social media app Instagram will now be available to users in 170 countries mostly with high data cost and lower bandwidth issues, said parent company Facebook on Wednesday. The lite version which was earlier available to high data connectivity countries like the US, India, Brazil among others is adapted for android phones and is likely to gain popularity in the developing world.

“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,” said Tzach Hadar, head of product management for Facebook Tel
Aviv, an engineering hub for the applications.

With the new version rolling out soon in a better part of the world, here is what makes the lite version different from the traditional Instagram app.

Space

The lightweight version takes up as less as two megabytes of space compared with 30-35 megabytes for the full version of Instagram. The version is highly beneficial for users whose devices often run low on space.

User interface

The lite version of the IG app gives a low space feel without compromising on its look, i.e, the Instagram Lite app is quite identical to the main app. Having said that, fonts and symbols of certain features like Inbox and stories may look a little different than the traditional ones.4

Features

Unlike the main IG app, the lite version would not support all the features and will provide limited support to may features like IGTV and Reels.

Devices

Unlike the main Instagram app, the IOS will not support the lite version of the app and will only run in android devices.

User experience

As the name suggest, the IG lite takes up less data than the main data for the content it offers and may take some time to upload photos and video and vice versa. However, the user experience to a great extent also depends on the user’s data connectivity and usage.

The
rollout comes amid growth in usage of social networking platforms due to lockdowns during the
pandemic triggered a massive popularity of  online services.