Twitter tests lightweight Android app in the Philippines

Twitter is currently testing a new “lite” version of its Android app.

Twitter is currently testing a new “lite” version of its Android app. The idea is to allow users to use Twitter where mobile data is expensive. Twitter, which has over 328 million total monthly active users — 68 million MAU in the US and 260 million outside — said the app was currently in the test mode in the Philippines, TechCrunch reported.

The app runs Android 5.0 and up, has language support both for English and Filipino and is usable on 2G and 3G networks. “The test of the Twitter Lite app in the Google Play Store in the Philippines is another opportunity to increase the availability of Twitter in this market.

“The Philippines market has slow mobile networks and expensive data plans while mobile devices with limited storage are still very popular there. Twitter Lite helps to overcome these barriers to usage for Twitter in the Philippines,” a Twitter spokesperson said.

The app is  “an experiment” and that the social media company is yet evaluate whether to launch it in further markets. The app has basic functions such as breaking news, sports scores and entertainment updates and options to view Timeline, Notifications, the Explore tab, Messages and to customise profile.

The advantage of downloading a “lite” version of Twitter is simple. It takes up less space, requiring only to take 414KB  to install, in comparison to the standard app which currently runs at 13.38MB. This would not be the first time a social media site is launching a “lite” version of its app. Earlier this year, both Linkedin and Facebook Messenger have launched the stripped-down versions  of its apps in India. Twitter, too, rolled out a lighter version called “Twitter Lite” in India this year. Twitter Lite essentially promises a new mobile experience to users on a browser via smartphones and tablets.

With inputs from IANS