In the first edition of the "Facebook Fuel For India" virtual event, Instagram (IG) announced that was extending the test of the Lite app in India, which is less than 2MB in size.

The Facebook-owned company shared that the launch in India has been done on the back of a research to ascertain the attractiveness and comprehension of new products. One barrier that was observed was the compromised internet experience, as a result of low memory phones and heavy apps. This set the context for the test of Instagram Lite, and India is a primarily test country.

At the event, Instagram highlighted that features like Reels, the Reels tab and Live Rooms have either debuted in India or have been launched as a test in the country.

The Instagram Lite app is made for Android users and the company claims that the new version has improved speed, performance and responsiveness. The experience is similar to the core Instagram app, although there are some features that are not currently supported such as Reels, Shopping and IGTV. The app will be available in Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu.

The company also announced the second version of "Born on Instagram" for next generation content creators to "enable them with collaboration and mentorship opportunities".

The program was first announced in November 2019 to discover, grow and showcase creators from across the country. In the latest edition, the program has been attuned to incorporate features such as Reels. It will continue for six months and will offer master classes from internal and external experts, as well as collaboration and mentorship opportunities.

Vishal Shah, VP of Product, Instagram at Facebook said, "India is such an important country for us and has been a testing ground for innovation, thanks to the natural creativity and entrepreneurial spirit we see here. With the test of Instagram Lite, and the next edition of Born on Instagram, we’re aiming to democratize expression and creativity for a greater number of people in India. We’re also hoping to gain valuable insights before a global rollout of Instagram Lite."

First Published:Dec 16, 2020 5:26 PM IST