Facebook & Messenger Lite Work Great with Basic Androids on Slow Networks

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 03 Oct 2016

On a powerful Android that has a reliable and fast data connection, Facebook and Facebook Messenger work like a charm. But that isn’t always the case. Powerful and expensive flagships remain a dream for a lot of people who can’t afford them. And having to deal with slower than average internet speeds is a fact of life in many areas.

Facebook wants you to have an enjoyable experience, even if you have a basic Android smartphone that’s connected to a slow network. To make sure of it, the company rolled out a slimmed version of its official app and official messaging platform – Facebook Lite and Messenger Lite.

Facebook Lite for Android

Facebook introduced the slimmed down version of its official app back in June, touting the fact that it uses less mobile data and works well across all network conditions.

"More than a billion people around the world access Facebook from a range of mobile devices on varying networks," said Vijay Shankar, Product Manager for Facebook Lite. "In many areas, networks can be slow and not able to support all the functionality found in Facebook for Android. Facebook Lite was built for these situations, giving people a reliable Facebook experience when bandwidth is at a minimum."

Facebook Lite – Main Features
  • Fast to install – the app weighs in at less than 1MB, meaning it will take very little time to download and install it on your Android device.
  • Loads quickly – Facebook proclaims this to be its fastest app.
  • Uses less data – as it’s designed to work with slow network connections, the app uses tiny amounts of data.
  • Facebook’s core experiences – the app covers the core experience people expect from Facebook, including News Feed, status updates, photos, notifications and so on.
  • Works on all networks and on most Android phones.


Facebook Lite for Android is available in countries across Asia and in parts of Latina America, Africa and Europe.

Get the Facebook Lite app for free from Google Play.


Messenger Lite for Android


One thing that annoys me about Facebook is that you can’t use the official app to chat with people, not since the company decided to take messaging out of the Facebook app and move them to a standalone Messenger app. Why? Because "that’s faster and more reliable for everyday messaging." But let’s not get carried away with all this negativity, let’s focus on the positive.

The positive in this situation is that Facebook’s Messenger app is now available as a Lite version. On October 2, Facebook introduced Messenger Lite, an app that’s meant for markets with slower than average internet speeds and a prevalence of basic Android smartphones. You can use it to send text, photos and links to anyone using either the full-fledged Messenger or the slimmed down Messenger Lite.

"More than 1 billion people around the world use Messenger every month from a range of mobile devices on networks of various speeds and reliability," said Tom Mulcahy, Engineering Manager for Messenger Lite. "With Messenger Lite, more people can stay in contact, regardless of network conditions or storage limitations on their Android devices. Messenger Lite was built to give people a great Messenger experience, no matter what technology they use or have access to."

Messenger Lite – Main Features
  • Fast to install – the app weighs in at under 10MB. Downloading and installing it won’t take much of your time.
  • Quick to start up – the app is fast to install and it quick to start up.
  • Messenger’s core experiences – the app covers the core experience people expect from Messenger, including messaging, sending and receiving photos and links, and receiving stickers.
  • Works on all networks and on most Android phones.


Messenger Lite is rolling out to Kenya, Tunisia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Venezuela. According to Facebook, the app will be released in other countries in the coming months.



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