Facebook takes Instagram Lite off the market indefinitely

Facebook has retired the Instagram Lite app for the time being. The app is no longer available in Google Play and the App Store, but opposite TechCrunch, parent company Facebook states that a new version is being worked on.

Instagram Lite was intended for users with less powerful smartphones on less fast networks. Essentially, Instagram Lite was the WebView browser built into an app that could only navigate to Instagram.com. The download was around 5MB in size, while that for the entire Instagram is about 32MB. According to TechCrunch, Facebook has always seen Instagram Lite as a test. A new version of the app is now being worked on, which will take into account what Facebook has learned from the application so far.

Instagram Lite is still available for download from unofficial sources and will not be removed from users who already have it. The app just doesn’t work anymore; users will receive a notification advising to upgrade to the full version of the app, with no option to ignore this advice. Those who get rid of Lite, but do not want the full version, can navigate to Instagram.com in the mobile browser and possibly put a shortcut to the site on their home screen. There are also lighter versions of apps such as Facebook, Messenger, Tinder and Gmail.