Jerusalem:
Facebook mentioned on Wednesday it was launching a “lite” version of Instagram in 170 nations that will allow persons with poor net to access the photo and video sharing social networking service.
Instagram Lite will be offered for Android-based phones and call for significantly less bandwidth than the conventional version.
The app itself calls for just 2 megabytes (MB) – versus 30 MB for Instagram – and runs even on slower 2G networks, enabling prospects in components of India, Africa, Asia and Latin America with older net infrastructure to access the service.
“These are the markets where there is the greatest need,” mentioned Tzach Hadar, director of solution management at Facebook in Tel Aviv, exactly where the app was largely created.
“It uses a lot less data so if you have a small data package you are not going to run out when you use the service. But the aim is for us to give the same breadth of experience you get on Instagram,” he told Reuters.
Hadar, who heads Facebook’s R&D in Israel, mentioned 170 nations did not represent a complete worldwide launch, but “it’s a step on the way.”
He noted that other than Television and reels – for developing and sharing brief video clips – Instagram Lite retained most essential capabilities of Instagram.
A lite version of Facebook itself has been offered globally for 5 years.
In addition to the lite versions, Facebook in Tel Aviv also created the Express WiFi service to bring net access to some 20 nations in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Hadar mentioned his group was now working on a digital wallet for Facebook. “You have close to 2 billion people that have no access or limited access to banks and financial services and there are tens of billions of dollars being spent just for fees for migrants wanting to send money back to their families,” he mentioned.
Another initiative, he mentioned, was Facebook Shops for compact enterprises to sell goods on line.
Facebook’s R&D centre in Tel Aviv opened in 2013 immediately after it purchased Israeli mobile app-maker Onavo for an estimated $150-$200 million.
(This story has not been edited by TheSpuzz employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)