The faster, more data-conservative version of the Facebook Messenger app, Messenger Lite, is now available in SA.
The app is under 10MB in size and was designed for older Android smartphones with low on-board storage, 2G networks and areas with limited network connectivity.
"Messenger Lite is a slimmed down, standalone version of Messenger for Android that allows you to quickly and easily send text, photos and links to anyone else using Messenger or Messenger Lite. It was built to give people a great Messenger experience, no matter what technology they have access to," Facebook said in a statement.
The company says there are more than one billion monthly active users of Messenger across the world, and it hopes the lightweight version will encourage even more people to make use of it.
The app includes Messenger's core features, such as messaging, sending and receiving photos and links, and receiving stickers.
It is not clear if Messenger's latest feature, called Day, will also be available on Messenger Lite. Day allows users to post pictures and videos within the app that disappear after 24 hours, similar to Instagram and Snapchat Stories.
Facebook says Messenger Lite uses the same bolt logo as Messenger, but with colours reversed. The bolt is blue with a white chat bubble background.
Last October, the app was rolled out in Kenya, Tunisia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Venezuela.
A lightweight version of the main Facebook app is also available for Android users. It is 252Kb in size and it was announced in February that it had 200 million users worldwide.
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