Meta Will Turn Off Messenger Lite Services Starting September 18

Meta will delete the Messenger Lite application (photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Meta has confirmed that it will close the Messenger Lite service, a lightweight version of Messenger. The app will be removed from the Google Play Store for new users and will no longer be available after September 18 for current users.

"Starting August 21, people using the Messenger Lite app for Android will be directed to Messenger or Facebook Lite to send and receive messages on Messenger," a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Messenger Lite for Android was first introduced in 2016. This launch is intended for users with Android devices that don't have much space.

Having a slight difference from the main Messenger app, this lite app only offers the core features of Messenger to reduce the use of storage space and processing power.

At that time, Meta also launched the Messenger Lite application for iOS users. However, the company owned by Mark Zuckerberg has removed it in 2020.

According to cellular analysis company data.ai, Lite's version of the app has been downloaded by about 760 million people globally, with India contributing to the singles largest part, followed by Brazil and Indonesia.

Recently, Meta has also expanded testing its new security feature end-to-end encryption (E2EE), which it claims will launch for all Messenger users later this year.

On the other hand, Meta has also announced on its support page that Messenger will no longer be able to be used to receive SMS messages sent by mobile networks, starting September 28.