Messenger Lite app released for basic Android smartphones

Messenger Lite is designed for Android smartphones on the lower end of the spectrum and slower than average internet connectivity.  Image Facebook

Last Oct. 2, Facebook announced that a new version of its Messenger app would be released, targeted specifically for certain Android smartphones.

A “Lite” version of the Messenger app would be made available to users who only have access to basic Android smartphones. It would also benefit users that have slower than average internet access, as the app would have only the core features of Messenger. The slimmed down Messenger Lite would still allow the aforementioned users to send text, photos, links and stickers albeit faster than the standard app if run on a basic Android device.

Messenger Lite would only be under 10MB and have a reversed color scheme to the standard Messenger color similar to what Facebook did with the Lite version of its core Facebook app. Considering the size of Facebook Lite compared with the standard version, it can be expected that Messenger Lite will also enjoy a dramatically smaller footprint than its standard counterpart. After updates, the standard Facebook and Messenger apps tend to eat up a lot of storage space.

The app will first come to users living in Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and Venezuela. More countries will be added to the list in the coming months.  Alfred Bayle