Twitter Lite Android App, Optimised for Slow Data Connections, Launched in India

Micro-blogging platform Twitter has made its data-friendly Twitter Lite Android app available in 21 more countries, including India, which can be downloaded from Google Play Store.

Built for 2G and 3G networks which are still in use in several parts of India, Twitter Lite has an install size of 3MB, saves data and space and loads quickly on unreliable networks.

"While using the app on 2G or 3G, you'll notice that content will load quickly on Twitter Lite. We want to make sure you can see what's happening no matter what network you're on," Twitter said in a statement late on Monday.

Twitter Lite is now available in the Google Play Store in more than 45 countries.

After a successful trial in the Philippines, Twitter rolled out the data-friendly Lite Android app in 24 countries in December 2017.

By enabling data saver mode, users can control which images and videos load on their phones.

"You can still load all the content at any time by hitting 'Load image' or 'Load video', helping you save money and data in real time," said Twitter.

The Bookmarks feature allows users to save important Tweets for later.

"Twitter Lite supports push notifications, allowing you to keep up with what's happening around the world," said the micro-blogging platform that currently has 335 million users.

The night mode feature gives timeline a darker theme - easier on eyes and to read even during the day.

"Threaded Tweets are now available on Twitter Lite. We've made it easy to create a thread by adding a plus button in the composer, so you can connect your thoughts and publish your threaded Tweets all at the same time," said the statement.

Twitter in July reported a drop of one million users in the second quarter of 2018 - with monthly active user count going down from 336 million in the last quarter to 335 million.

The micro-blogging platform, while releasing second quarter earnings, reported $711 million (roughly Rs. 5,000 crores) in revenue - an increase of 24 percent year-over-year.