After introducing IGTV last week, Instagram is quietly opening up to the emerging markets by launching Instagram Lite – a slimmed down version of Instagram that is designed to use less data.
The app now appears on the Google playstore and is currently only available in Mexico. Instagram says it will expand to other countries in the future.
The app is designed to “take up less space, use less data and starts faster”, said an Instagram spokesperson.
The new Instagram Lite app is just 573 kilobytes in size. By contrast, Instagram on iOS is 83.9MB.
Users can post photos and share and view stories on the app but will not have access to certain features such as video posting and direct messaging.
Most companies are launching “Lite” versions of their popular apps in order to try and attract users in emerging markets. Facebook, Google and Uber all have “Lite” apps out or upcoming in emerging markets.
