Image used with permission by copyright holderFacebook Lite isn’t so light in users. On Wednesday, the social media giant announced that more than 200 million people are now using the stripped-down version of its app every month, representing a 100 percent increase from last March. First launched in June 2015, the Android-only app has come a long way in a short period of time and suggests that Mark Zuckerberg’s focus on developing markets just may be a strategic one.
In order to further capitalize on this growth, Facebook says it has plans to further expand the app’s availability. By including South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, and Israel on the growing list of countries in which Facebook Lite is available, Facebook hopes that a greater number of users who may have inexpensive phones and limited internet access will still be able to reap the benefits of connectivity — at least as far as Facebook is concerned.
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Once the newest countries are added, Facebook Lite will be available in more than 100 different nations. Furthermore, the app has been updated with more features from the standard Facebook mobile experience, so users can now like, comment, and share posts. Mashable reports that users will also see performance improvements with the new version of Facebook Lite.
Still, the app weighs in at less than 1MB in size, making it ideal for limited data plans, 2G networks, and places with unstable internet connections. In developing markets like India (which represent an enormous opportunity for Facebook and tech companies in general), more than 95 percent of mobile phone users have older, more basic Android phones, which makes Facebook Lite an ideal app to have. The application can be run on any device that supports Android 2.3 and above.
Of course, Facebook boasts nearly 2 billion monthly users, so 200 million on Lite is really just a drop in the bucket. But as the social network continues to expand its presence in areas of the world where it has not yet saturated the market, this figure could continue to grow.
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.
Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.
Here’s how to delete your YouTube account on any device
Wanting to get out of the YouTube business? If you want to delete your YouTube account, all you need to do is go to your YouTube Studio page, go to the Advanced Settings, and follow the section that will guide you to permanently delete your account. If you need help with these steps, or want to do so on a platform that isn't your computer, you can follow the steps below.
Note that the following steps will delete your YouTube channel, not your associated Google account.
Instagram is amazing, and many of us use it as a record of our lives — uploading the best bits of our trips, adventures, and notable moments. But sometimes you can lose the original files of those moments, leaving the Instagram copy as the only available one . While you may be happy to leave it up there, it's a lot more convenient to have another version of it downloaded onto your phone or computer. While downloading directly from Instagram can be tricky, there are ways around it. Here are a few easy ways to download Instagram photos.
