Twitter has today launched a Lite version of its app made to cater to users in developing markets, where data may not be affordable and internet connectivity is unreliable.

Twitter Lite is a mobi site version of the app which minimises data usage, loads quickly on slower connections, is resilient on unreliable mobile networks, and takes up less than 1MB on a mobile device, the company explained.

Now, being a company with comparatively more focus on reaching the masses, Facebook already launched a Lite version two years ago, so Twitter’s a little late to the party here.

“Twitter Lite is a great way for many people in emerging markets across Asia Pacific, Latin America and Africa to experience Twitter for the first time on their mobile devices,” the company said.

Twitter Lite is optimised for speed, with up to 30% faster launch times as well as quicker navigation throughout the site. It also provides the key features of Twitter – the timeline, Tweets, Direct Messages, trends, profiles, media uploads, notifications, and more.

“In addition, we have added a data saver mode, which further reduces the amount of mobile data used. In this mode, you will see a preview of images and videos before choosing which ones to fully load. This can reduce your data usage by up to 70%, making it more affordable for you to use Twitter in areas where mobile data is expensive,” the company said.

The Liter version also comes with offline support, so you’ll be able to continue on the site even if your connection gets temporarily cut. You can also enable push notifications from popular browsers like Chrome if you’re using an Android mobile.

Twitter Lite is available immediately across the world.

“We are working hard to bring more exciting updates to Twitter Lite for people worldwide and to develop more partnerships in emerging markets to make it useful. No matter where you are in the world, we want to make Twitter the best way for you to get real-time updates on news, sports, entertainment, politics, and other topics that matter most to you,” Twitter said.

[Source – Twitter