The photo-sharing app owned by Facebook, Instagram today at its ‘Facebook Fuel For India’ virtual event announced that a new version of Instagram Lite is now being tested in India. In addition to this, the second edition of the ‘Born on Instagram’ creator program is also being tested. As the name suggests Instagram Lite is just 2MB in size on Google Play. The new version of this app was first launched in India in June 2018 but was shut down in May this year only.
Vishal Shah, VP of Product, Instagram at Facebook, said, “India is such an important country for us and has been a testing ground for innovation, thanks to the natural creativity and entrepreneurial spirit we see here. With the test of Instagram Lite, and the next edition of Born on Instagram, we’re aiming to democratize expression and creativity for a greater number of people in India. We’re also hoping to gain valuable insights before a global rollout of Instagram Lite.”
Today Instagram announced extending the test of Instagram Lite to people in India. The app is less than 2MB in size and is said to deliver an Instagram experience that remains fast and reliable for more people. According to a research conducted earlier this year, the company has observed that the one barrier which did not let the user enjoy the core Instagram experience was the compromised internet experience, as a result of low memory phones and heavy-sized apps. This is the reason why the company decided to bring back Instagram Lite and India is a primarily test country for it. The app is made for Android and this new version has improved speed, performance, and responsiveness. The experience is similar to the core Instagram app experience, though there are some features that are not currently supported such as Reels, Shopping and IGTV. The app will be available in Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu.
Apart from this, the company has also announced the second version of ‘Born on Instagram that will allow the content creators to collaborate and mentorship opportunities. However, this program was earlier announced in November 2019 to discover, grow and showcase creators from all across the country. According to the company its was conceptualized in recognition of the creativity being witnessed all across India and has given a voice to a new generation of creators with a national appeal like Amulya Rattan (@amulyarattan_), Aakash Malhotra (@wanderwithsky) and Dr. Richa Negi (dr.richa.negi). But this time the latest edition of the Born on Instagram 2.0 will bring has been attuned to incorporate the new features on Instagram, especially Reels. It will go on for a period of 6 months and will continue to offer masterclasses from internal and external experts, as well as collaboration and mentorship opportunities. To interested creators can get them registered for the program here.
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