Facebook Lite App for iOS Launched, Now Available for Users in Turkey | Apps

Social media giant Facebook launched the ‘Lite’ version of its app for Android users in 2015. The Facebook Lite app was made keeping in mind developing markets with spotty connections and limited data usage. The Facebook Lite app is smaller in size, uses less data than the main Facebook app, and runs faster in regions with spotty connections. Now, after three years, Facebook has launched the Facebook Lite app for iOS users as well, however the app is only available to download in Turkey for now.

Business Insider was tipped off about this development by app analytics firm Sensor Tower, and the app seems to be listed only in Turkey for now. The app’s size is listed to be just 16.3MB but it should vary a bit depending upon region, and requires iOS 9 and above for compatibility. Now that the app is listed for Turkey users, Facebook should roll it out for other regions soon.

Facebook Lite uses less than one-half of a megabyte of data to limit data usage and rates for those in emerging markets, and claims to run smoothly even on age-old 2G connections. While it still supports Facebook’s News Feed, status updates, notifications and photos, it does not support videos and advanced location services. This app was intended to be Android-only for developing regions, though it was recently launched for developed markets, including the US due to popular demand. And now, the reach has been expanded even more with it now available on the App Store as well.

The Facebook Lite app reached the 100 million monthly active users milestone in March 2016, and managed to clock in 200 million milestone by February last year.