Facebook's Messenger Lite finally arrives in India

Facebook has finally launched the 'lite' version of its Messenger app in India, months after the global rollout in October last year.

Optimized to work even when there is a low bandwidth or slow Internet networks, Messenger Lite is a lightweight, fast and simpler version of the mobile app that weighs just 10MB, compared to the usual Messenger app on Android which goes above 40MB, and the iOS app, which is more than a 300MB download. Like Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite is not available for iPhone users.

Messenger Lite offers the same basic functions as Messenger, enabling users to send and receive texts, photos, links, emojis and stickers. The new app also has voice calling, active now indicator feature, the ability to view and remove group members and add members to groups.

While India was one of the launch markets for Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite took some time to hit Indian shores. First unveiled in October last year for five select regions, the toned-down version of Facebook Messenger made its way to 132 countries in April this year.