Facebook has previously launched ‘Facebook Lite‘ back in 2015 and ‘Messenger Lite‘ in April this year. Now, the Instagram Lite is also targeted at the regions where internet connectivity is an issue or at the users who still have a basic Android phone. The Instagram Lite is currently being tested in Mexico and its expected to roll out later this year. We have tried out the new Instagram Lite app and here’s a quick comparison between Instagram Lite and regular Instagram app.
Instagram Lite Vs Instagram: What you get?
Despite being small in size, Instagram Lite still manages to bring most of the features from the regular Instagram app.
Uploading Posts
The Instagram Lite app lets you post pictures to your profile. However, there are a number of restrictions like you can’t yet post videos from Instagram Lite. Instagram Lite uses the same amount of data as pictures take on the regular app. However, viewing photos and videos on Instagram Lite consumes less data than the regular app.
Profile
The Instagram Lite obviously has the profile page which shows the basic features about user profile just like the images posted, and bookmarks etc. The story highlights are also available. Notably, there’s no IGTV videos support.
Posting Stories
The Stories are one of the most popular features of the Instagram. Interestingly, the Instagram Lite app supports the Stories. So you can post your stories as well as watch stories posted by people you follow. The app is currently limited to posting only images as stories which you can take from within the app or take form your gallery. Although you can still see videos posted by others in their Stories. Instagram, on the other hand also supports videos.
Explore Posts
The Explore section was recently upgraded in the regular app, also makes the way to Lite app. Though there are no categories like the ones in the regular Instagram app. The search also doesn’t come with a search history. The explore section doesn’t work pretty much the same way. However, you can search for people, hashtags, which is similar to the regular Instagram app.
Activity
The Instagram Lite app also comes with the ‘Activity’ feed as well. You can check all the updates about new followers, likes, comments, and more just like the regular Instagram app. Also Read: 6 Lite Apps to use to make the most out of your Android phone
Instagram Lite vs Instagram: What is Missing?
The Instagram Lite app brings a lot of important features from the regular Instagram app, but still, there are a bunch of features that are missing in it. Let’s take a look at what’s missing.
No IGTV support
Unlike the regular Instagram which is integrated with the newly launched IGTV where you can watch vertical videos, Instagram Lite doesn’t support IGTV. There’s no icon for IGTV. So, even if you’ve posted an IGTV video, it will not show in the profile.
No Direct Messages
Instagram Lite also doesn’t support direct messaging feature. So, you can’t send messages, share posts, and videos over personal messages. All this is available in the regular Instagram app.
No Sharing Options
In the regular Instagram app, if you want to share a post with people, you can tap on the three-dot menu icon and choose to share the post via WhatsApp. However, in Instagram Lite, the sharing option is missing and it only has the basic options.
No Editing Options
Instagram is known for the easy editing options in the app itself. In Instagram Lite, the photo editing options are missing. The filters are still there, but you can’t edit the pictures, though there’s an ‘Edit’ tab which is basically for rotating an image.
Can’t Upload Multiple Photos
The regular Instagram app lets you post a group of photos in the form of a carousel. However, Instagram Lite doesn’t allow multiple photos in the same post. However, you can check out carousels posted by others. Coming to the conclusion, the Instagram Lite app is really a great step from Facebook towards a data-friendly app that is also good for budget-smartphones as well. You can also try out the Instagram lite app by downloading the APK and installing on your smartphone.
