Facebook Lite is shutting down on iOS: Details here
What's the story
In an unexpected move, social media giant Facebook is sunsetting the Lite version of its main mobile application.
The change, first reported by Brazilian outlet MacMagazine, has been confirmed by a spokesperson from the company but will only apply to iOS users.
Here is all you need to know about the decision and the reasoning behind it.
Message
Shutdown message for Facebook Lite users
On Tuesday, when people in Brazil launched Facebook Lite on their phones, the service displayed a message warning about the shutdown and advising to switch to the main app of the social network.
"Facebook Lite for iOS will be disabled," the message read. "You can use the original Facebook app to keep in touch with friends and family."
Confirmation
Later, the social network confirmed the move
As users started complaining about the possible shutdown of Facebook Lite, a company spokesperson issued a statement confirming the move and explaining the company's reasoning behind it.
The representative said, "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."
Questions
Many questions still remain unanswered
Even though Facebook confirmed the departure of its Lite app on iOS, many questions still remain unanswered, including whether the app is also going away in other regions and if something similar is also being planned for Android.
To note, the Android version of Facebook Lite has already gained a lot of traction, with more than a billion installs on the Google Play Store.
Launch
Facebook Lite debuted in 2018 on iOS
Facebook Lite debuted on Android in 2015, but the iOS version surfaced much later in October 2018. Also, initially, that version was only available in Turkey.
The idea behind the Lite service was to remove unnecessary clutter (like animations and auto-playing videos) from the Facebook app experience and give something that people with older, low-spec'd phones and 2G connections are also able to use.