Instagram Lite rebooted in 170 countries; Adds Reels support
The Instagram Lite app has been available in India since last December, but now Facebook has launched it in a new avatar in 170 countries. The lightweight app is meant for smartphone owners with limited space. Instagram Lite now requires 2MB of storage compared to the 0.6MB for the older version, but that's lower than 32MB needed by the regular Instagram app.
Lightweight app designed for cheaper smartphones, reduced data consumption
Storage space isn't the only consideration for the Instagram Lite app. It is also easier to run on cheaper phones and economical with data consumption by being capable of running on 2G connections. Although, 32MB installation size of the regular app doesn't sound that bad, it can balloon up to a few gigabytes over time. The Lite app is a lot more frugal.
Lite app easy on data consumption; Viable for rural areas
The core focus of the Instagram Lite app, however, seems to be restricting data usage. That's also why features such as Instagram Live and Reels have been limited to only viewing. Facebook has emphasized that the Lite app has been designed for people with low connectivity and limited data plans. The idea is to keep the experience consistently fast and reliable across devices.
New Lite app adds important features over the outgoing app
Unlike the erstwhile Instagram Lite app, the newer one adds a lot of missing features. You can now send DMs, which was sorely missing from the previous version. Additionally, users can view stories, upload IGTV videos, and add stickers, while also being able to use the app in a total of nine regional languages, as opposed to Hindi-only nature of the main app.
Instagram Lite doesn't have any advertisements at the moment
The Lite app understandably does away with hardware intensive features such as the embedded AR filters, graphically complicated transition animations, and some UI features. Interestingly, the app is also devoid of all advertisements, but Facebook is "committed to offering the full suite of monetization tools" in the future. The company hopes the Reels feature can take up the vacuum created by the TikTok ban.
