Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook that was formerly called, well, Facebook, is set to shut down the Messenger Lite app.
Messenger is the name given to the instant chat feature on Facebook. The feature has existed as a standalone app both on the web and on mobile devices for years. In 2016, in order to woo users of the feature who accessed it from devices that were resource-conscious (limited storage space), Meta, then known as Facebook, introduced a lite version of the Messenger app hence Messenger Lite.
However, what was true 7 years ago might not be true anymore today. While Lite apps are still popular – the TikTok Lite app, for instance, remains an app store chart topper in Kenya – their unique use cases are waning in a day and age when the 256GB smartphone is no longer a headturner and smartphones have become a lot more powerful even at the entry-level where such lite apps once targeted. Also, internet access is no longer as much of a going concern as it was over half a decade ago.
There’s also the case of the pared-down version of the Messenger app no longer appealing to most of the users it once targeted as preferences have shifted to embracing more feature-rich experiences on the main app.
While we might never truly know what the case for shuttering Messenger Lite is by Meta since the company is remaining mum on the development, the writing has been on the wall for a while. The iOS version of the app, which was launched much later than the Android version which was the first out of the Meta doors, was discontinued 3 years ago.
New users are unable to access the app from Play Store even though existing users can still access it. That will change on September 18 when it will no longer be usable nor accessible from the Play Store.
Meta has also recently announced that it is yanking the SMS feature from Messenger.
