The diet version of the app was developed in Tel Aviv for old devices and countries with outdated cellular and Internet networks • The goal: to maintain improved performance
Photo: AFP
Facebook announced today (Tuesday) at an online press event that it has begun testing a new version of Instagram Lite for Android devices, developed by the company's research and development center in Tel Aviv.
This is a lightweight version of the Instagram app, with improved performance and response speed, while reducing data usage and maintaining a good user experience across all network conditions.
The Instagram Lite app weighs less than just two megabytes and can therefore be downloaded and installed quickly.
According to Facebook, "The new widget was developed with the aim of providing Android users with the key features of the Instagram app and providing a fast, high-quality browsing experience for more people, regardless of the device, platform or network they use."
Tzach Hadar, product management director of Lite Interfaces and one of the leaders of the Facebook research and development center in Tel Aviv, said that "Instagram Lite was built on the work we did on Facebook Lite, which was also developed in Tel Aviv. We applied many of the lessons and technology we developed for Facebook Lite "With Lite, the core of which is our premise not to leave anyone behind. With Instagram Lite, people around the world can enjoy a quality Instagram experience, regardless of the device or network they use."
Facebook explained that Instagram Lite was built to provide a quality Instagram browsing experience for people who have not received it so far, on all types of network and with minimal bandwidth, as in many developing countries there is no stable internet connection and the network can be slow.
For example, a significant percentage of people in developing countries do not have a high-speed Wi-Fi connection at all - which is why they hang on to their mobile phone's Internet connection, which does not exceed 2G or 3G in most cases.
Other challenges faced by the team included a large distribution of devices, expensive data plans and changing consumer behavior.
"We have started testing the new version of Instagram Lite for Android users among a small group of users and so far we are receiving very positive feedback," says Michelle Lowry, Product Manager, Instagram Lite.
"Where we're testing the new version, a lot of people already know and love Facebook Lite - so when we started launching Instagram Lite, we got positive feedback from people who were happy to have access to the new app."
"Developing a product between multiple time zones is always a challenge, but it's a challenge we're already used to. When the Corona plague broke out, we had to completely change the approach we worked on on Instagram Lite," added Gal Zellermeier, Software Development Director, Instagram Lite.
First, we had no chance of a face-to-face meeting - some of the best ideas come from everyone's Messiah in one room.
We were required to immediately: we put up erasable boards in our homes, set up a virtual "Knesset" and conducted the brainstorming on a remote control.
"Also, until the outbreak of the plague we relied on frontal encounters to explore the user experience - the stage where we meet with groups of people who review the app and ask them questions about their experience," Zellermeier explained.
"We were required to move these sessions to a virtual format and it was indeed complex - it's hard not to sit next to the person testing the product, ask him what his problems are with the product or understand from him what he likes about the app."
