Nearly six months after shut down, Facebook has decided to revive and start testing the Instagram Lite app in India. This lightweight Android app was initially rolled out back in 2018 in developing countries. The two-year test was curtailed earlier in May, but Instagram Lite is now back with a revamped experience.
Instagram Lite has been rolled out to expand the photo-sharing platform’s reach to more smartphone users. The Instagram Lite app is really small in size. It weighs just 2MB and should work perfectly fine on entry-level, low-powered Android Go phones as well.
As seen in the screenshots below, the app is designed to offer the core experience of Instagram to users. The UI, including the bottom navigation bar and profile page, all look exactly the same as the main app. You can upload photos/ videos, upload/ view stories in this lightweight app. There’s a lot of features missing in action though.
You can’t access IGTV videos, Shopping features, and Instagram’s TikTok rival, Reels. The company seems to be dropping the ball with this decision. Reels could have been a feature that helped further the app’s reach to lakhs of new users in India. The highlight of Instagram Lite will, however, have to be regional language support.
The app is available in these 9 Indian languages — Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu.
Facebook announced that it has started testing the app in India on the second day of the Fuel for India 2020 event. “With the test of Instagram Lite and the next edition of Born on Instagram, we’re aiming to democratize expression and creativity for a greater number of people in India,” Vishal Shah, VP of Product at Instagram.
India has been chosen as a testbed this time around for two key reasons – low-memory phones and heavy-sized primary app. The Instagram Lite app is now live on the Google Play Store (Free), so go ahead and try it out.
Besides the app, the company has brought its creator program, Born on Instagram, to India. This six-month program is going to enable creators to avail masterclasses from experts, collaboration, and mentorship opportunities.
