Facebook Lite, the social network's slimmed down app for low speed connections and low-spec phones, is being deactivated, reports MacMagazine.
Facebook Lite was designed to work on poor internet connections like 2G networks or in rural areas with a bad signal, mainly by not downloading high resolution images or autoplaying videos, and the app could be used on older phones at the expense of excluding some features.
The streamlined app appeared alongside a Lite version of Messenger in 2018, first launching in Turkey, before rolling out to more regions and territories.
However, users in Brazil who opened the Lite variant of the app on Tuesday were met with the following message (translation).
Facebook Lite for iOS will be disabled.
You can use the original Facebook app to keep in touch with friends and family.
MacMagazine confirmed that the Facebook Lite app is no longer on the App Store, unlike Messenger Lite, which is still available.
"Due to the limited adoption and improvements we are making to improve the experience for people in our apps, we will no longer support Facebook Lite for iOS," said a Facebook spokesperson.
Facebook has long been regarded by some users as a unnecessarily bloated app. The full-fat Facebook app for iPhone 11 is a not-insubstantial 244.7MB, whereas Facebook Lite was a relatively paltry 8.7MB in comparison.
Top Rated Comments
I encouraged people to not even install the Facebook app. Just bookmark the website and put it on your home screen if you really must have a Facebook icon on your phone.
Now, I use Facebook in Safari with "request desktop version" set which allows Messages to be read/sent. The FB apps are stupidly huge and update too frequently (with no useful release notes).
I use it for my business, I don’t like it personally but it has a good reach. Opening through Safari instead of the native app is a storage saver, however they get very annoying randomly asking you to download the app.
Packing all sort of trackers baby... Well, most apps have grown this big lately. I also think this is the size of all the versions for different devices, your actual installer is smaller.