Now anyone can put those 140 characters to good use even with a bad network.
Twitter has introduced Twitter Lite, the speedier, lighter, and data-friendlier version of its microblogging service. Twitter Lite is a new mobile web experience catered to those with slow mobile networks and low storage space.
With this, Twitter hopes to expand its reach worldwide. After Facebook and Instagram, Twitter is one of the biggest social media platforms in the world, with over 313 million active monthly users. People use Twitter for many reasons, but lately it has been a major platform for news sources.
Introducing Twitter Lite
Twitter has announced Twitter Lite via its blog and of course, its official Twitter account. Patrick Traughber, Twitter product manager, wrote about the disjoint between smartphone users (3.8 billion) and the mobile connections on 2G networks (45 percent), according to GSMA data.
Twitter Lite will maximize the mobile web experience of those who are on slow networks; it is lighter, faster, and data-friendly.
"Twitter Lite [is] resilient on unreliable mobile networks, and takes up less than 1MB on your device. We also optimized it for speed, with up to 30% faster launch times as well as quicker navigation throughout Twitter," wrote Traughber.
Twitter Lite will retain the key features and looks of the original version of Twitter. This means people on Twitter Lite can access the same timeline, tweets, trending topics, direct messages, photo and video uploads, and other features. It is not an app, so no downloads required. All one needs is a mobile device like a smartphone with a browser.
Twitter Lite has also introduced a Data Saver Mode. With this, mobile data usage will be reduced. The user has the option to fully load photos and videos in their timeline (the media will be set to preview mode). According to Traughber, the data usage will be reduced up to 70 percent, which is good news for people with expensive data charges.
Twitter Lite On Chrome And Android
Browsers on Android devices especially Google Chrome will get additional features. For one, the user can receive push notification options. Another one is offline support; it means in case of disconnection, Twitter use will not be interrupted. Lastly, Twitter Lite can be pinned on the home screen for a one-tap quick launch.
Everyone can access Twitter Lite via mobile.twitter.com. Users from Asia Pacific, Africa, and Latin America (and other areas with slow mobile networks) can enjoy Twitter, according to Traughber. In India, Twitter teamed up with Vodafone to promote Twitter Lite for getting live sports update on India's favorite pastime, cricket on the Indian Premier League.
