For fans of Meta’s Messenger Lite, it’s time to bid adieu to the lightweight platform as the company is shutting down the service on September 18. The report by 9to5 Google stated the app is no longer available in the Play Store for new users, but it can still be downloaded by previous ones. Messenger Lite is an alternative to the main Messenger app that offers core features along with its “less than 10MB to download” unique selling point.
The Zuckerberg-run tech giant confirmed the closure in a statement to TechCrunch. “Starting August 21, people using the Messenger Lite app for Android will be directed to Messenger or FB Lite to send and receive messages on Messenger,” a Meta spokesperson said.
While the original Messenger app offers additional features like extensions, automated messaging, and stories, Messenger Lite has a separate fanbase altogether for its simple, distraction-free design that requires minimal processing power, and storage space. According to analytics firm data.ai, the Lite versions of the app had combined downloads estimated at approximately 760 million globally, with India accounting for the single largest portion and the US ranked 8 by lifetime downloads.
The shutdown announcement arrives on the heels of another big Messenger change for Android. Earlier this month, the company said users will no longer be able to use Messenger as their default SMS app on Android after September 28th. It looks like Meta alongside other tech giants is cutting down on non-critical products. Over the recent past, Google’s expanding graveyard and Amazon’s long, long list of failures have often made it to the headline in the recent past.
While Messenger’s Android version is being shut down next month, the basic straightforward platform was snatched from iOS users in 2020. Earlier this year, in a surprising move, Meta decided to pull the Facebook Messenger app from the Apple Watch leaving the users disappointed. The company refrained from providing any explanation regarding the news. Instead, it pointed users to Messenger on “iPhone, desktop and the web.”
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