In a recent announcement, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has confirmed the shutdown of Messenger Lite, its lightweight version of Messenger. The company has started notifying users to transition to the main Messenger app for continued chatting. Messenger Lite has been removed from the Google Play Store for new users and will cease to be accessible to current users after September 18.
Introduced in 2016, Messenger Lite catered to Android users with less-powerful devices, offering essential features to conserve storage space and processing power. While it initially launched for iOS as well, the iOS version was shut down in 2020.
According to data.ai, a mobile analytics firm, combined global downloads for the Lite versions of Messenger reached approximately 760 million. India led the download count, followed by Brazil and Indonesia, with the United States ranking at No. 8.
The decision to discontinue Messenger Lite follows Meta’s recent announcement about the removal of SMS support from Messenger, set to take effect after September 28, 2023. Additionally, Meta revealed its plans to implement default end-to-end encryption for Messenger by the year’s end. The company is also expanding its testing of end-to-end encryption features to involve millions more users in their chat security measures.
