Facebook Lite Gets Speed, Reliability Improvements; Now Has Over 200 Million Users

Facebook has announced that over 200 million people are now using the stripped-down version of its main app - Facebook Lite. Facebook Lite, launched back in June 2015 for low-end Android devices, was introduced by the social media networking giant specifically for emerging markets as a solution for connections that are usually weak and spotty.

"In many areas, networks can be slow and unable to support all the functions available on Facebook. FB Lite gives people access to core Facebook experiences like News Feed more quickly and while consuming less data," Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said in a blog post on Wednesday. Sandberg pointed out that Facebook Lite is especially helping out those business users who are in countries that are mobile first or mobile only.

"FB Lite is helping business owners grow and reach customers on mobile even when bandwidth is at a minimum," Sandberg said.

Notably, the latest update to the app brings along improvements for reliability and speed to the app. The update also brings the app to more regions like Israel, Italy, United Arab Emirates, and South Korea, notes TechCrunch. Interestingly, the app has been rolled out even to developed markets in order to cater the needs of those with net connection issues.

To recall, Facebook Lite clocked 100 million monthly active users in March last year, less than nine months since its launch, which made it the fastest-growing interface from the company to hit the milestone.