Facebook Pulls the Plug on Facebook Lite iOS App Due to “Limited Adoption”

Facebook is ending support on its slimmed-down Facebook Lite app. Facebook Lite has been a source for users to gain access to Facebook’s features in rural areas or for those with poor networking conditions for the past two years.

Facebook Lite was first introduced in 2015, where it was tested and purposed to be used in emerging markets without reliable 3G connections. However, MacRumors has translated a report from MacMagazine which states that Facebook has begun pulling the plug on the Facebook Lite app.

From the translated report, it appears as though users in Brazil were given the news through a message that would appear when attempting to use the Facebook Lite app. When attempting to open it, the app would notify the user to use the core Facebook app, saying: “Facebook Lite for iOS will be disabled. You can use the original Facebook app to keep in touch with friends and family. Additionally, the Facebook Lite app is no longer on the iOS App Store.

A Facebook spokesperson gave a statement, identifying that the app was nixed due to its adoption rate. The spokesperson said: “Due to the limited adoption and improvements we are making to improve the experience for people in our apps, we will no longer support Facebook Lite for iOS.”

Facebook Lite was developed to give users access to Facebook’s core features but cut down on the data used. It would refrain from downloading high-resolution pictures, and would not auto-play videos. Messenger Lite was also introduced alongside Facebook Lite. While Facebook Lite appears to be getting the axe, Messenger Lite may still be supported for the time being.

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