Facebook announced a slim version of its popular messaging app called Messenger Lite, developed for users with slower internet speeds in emerging markets.
The app will be useful to the users of lower-end Android devices and consumes as little as 10 MB on smartphones and tablets. Facebook’s standard Messenger app needs 125 MB. It is accessible in Kenya, Tunisia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Venezuela. It will become available in other countries in the coming months. The app does not include advance features like audio and video calls though.
The company has also invested a lot in messaging apps over the years. In 2014, it acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion.
While many tech companies have struggled to monetize messaging, some Asian businesses have been more successful. ‘Line’ a Japanese messaging app which went public earlier this year bagged nearly $270 million in revenue from digital stickers last year alone.
