Facebook Lite Android App Being Released in Parts of Asia and Africa
Facebook isn’t content with just dominating smartphones and it wants a piece of those handsets caught between feature phones and high end devices. Thus, it has started releasing a lite version of its Android app, available now in select countries in Africa and Asia.
The UI of the app may remind one of the simple mobile website that FB served around the year 2009 or 2010. It’s meant for the low end Android handsets in emerging markets and seems to work fine, judging by the first reviews. The app was launched without a big announcement in countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
We’re not sure if a wider release is meant, but this initial testing phase is proving fruitful for Facebook. The app is totally light, at just 252 KB in size and it’s based on Snaptu, the famous Facebook feature phone client. It even goes as far as include some native Android features, like push notifications and camera integration. Facebook did reinvent its Android app last year, to make it more suitable for emerging markets, but apparently it wants more.
Anyway, the app already broke the 10k download barrier and ratings stand at 4.6 out of 10, which is good. If you live in one of the select countries, you can download it here.
