facebooklite
Latest
Facebook renews 'Sorry for Your Loss' and three more Watch originals
Facebook is renewing four of the most popular original shows available on its Watch video hub for a second season. They include the social network's biggest stab at creating a peak TV series in the Elizabeth Olsen-starring drama, Sorry for Your Loss; the teen show filmed from different perspectives and exec-produced by Kerry Washington, Five Points; a reality series starring makeup artist Huda Kattan, Huda Boss; and a young adult lit adaptation from horror maestros Blumhouse Productions, Sacred Lies.
Facebook is testing a Lite app for iOS
Facebook Lite is an app aimed at lower-end Android phones that offers the user a pared-down version of the social network experience. Now, 9to5Mac reports that Facebook is working on a similar Lite version for iOS. We've reached out to Facebook for confirmation that the app is in testing.
Facebook Lite adds Community Help crisis response tool
Facebook announced today that it's bringing its Community Help tool to Facebook Lite. The feature, which evolved out of Safety Check, helps users connect in the event of a crisis, allowing them to share updates, communicate with others and find or provide help. Now the tool will be available on Facebook Lite in more than 100 countries, giving more Facebook users access to information on essential needs such as where to find food, shelter or transportation after a disaster. "Our priority is to build tools that provide people with ways to get the help they need to recover and rebuild after a crisis," Facebook Crisis Response Product Manager Jeong-Suh Choi said in a statement. "By making Community Help available on Facebook Lite, event more people can get the help they need in times of crisis."
Facebook is changing the way it stores call and text history
Facebook published a blog post today detailing the changes it has made to how it manages users' data. You can read a broader summary of that report here, but among the new changes is a tweak to how Facebook collects and stores call and text history. For those using Messenger or Facebook Lite on Android, an opt-in feature compiles users' call and text history, which the company says is used to help it surface the contacts you talk to most frequently. In its blog post today, Facebook said that it has reviewed the feature and can confirm that it doesn't actually collect the content of any messages. Additionally, going forward, it will delete logs older than a year and only the data required for the feature's functionality will be collected, meaning no extra data, such as call times, will be stored.
Facebook's 'Lite' app has over 200 million users (updated)
Just because you're using Facebook Lite, it doesn't mean you want to compromise on features. Neither do any of the 200 million users worldwide taking advantage of the bare-bones version of the app. Fortunately, there's an update that rolls out many missing features today such as the ability to Like, Comment and Share posts. Facebook created Lite as a pared down version of its main app in 2015 for lower-end Android phones with spotty network connections. COO Sheryl Sandberg was keen to outline the benefits that users of the standalone app are getting. Business users, for example, can use the more feature-rich update to reach mobile-only and mobile-first customers while using less data.
Facebook Lite uses less storage and bandwidth for emerging markets
Facebook's regular Android app just uses too much data and storage for devices in developing areas. It also tends to eat up a good bit of pricey data. To remedy those connectivity woes, the folks in Menlo Park announced Facebook Lite: a version of the mobile software that's less than 1MB is size, yet still offers the social networks essential tools. Despite requiring a modet amount of space and time install, even on a slow network, the app still handles News Feed, status updates, photos, notifications and other items users employ on the regular. In addition to this new software, Zuckerberg & Co. are also behind the Internet.org project that's bringing free access to essential services to underdeveloped countries, too. Facebook Lite is rolling out today in Asia, and it's set to hit parts of Africa, Europe and Latin America in "the coming weeks."
Facebook Lite uses less data for developing areas, low-end phones
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been hard at work connecting the world with not only his social network, but with basic internet access, too. In another step towards doing so in developing areas, the folks in Menlo Park are rolling out Facebook Lite: a version of its Android app that's meant to use less data and work well regardless of network speeds. In fact, it's specifically designed for browsing on 2G networks and in locales where connectivity is extremely limited. At less than 1MB, the software makes for a quick install to wrangle messaging, status updates, and other core features that Facebook users employ. According to TechCrunch, Facebook Lite is in the testing phase, and it's only available in Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zimbabwe for the time being. However, the app requires Android 2.2, making it an option for most users -- even those wielding low-end devices. [Photo credit: Arun Sharma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images]
