Introduction

If you’ve ever thought that you lose too much time online, Facebook Lite will help you out. Basically, it’s a slimmed-down version of the normal app for older phones and low-speed connections.

Interface 4/5

The first thing that you’ll notice is an unusual interface. It has bigger elements and flat blocky navigation buttons. Friends images are represented by little squares now, instead of round ones. In comparison with the regular app and its neat little icons with shadows, this version reminds me more of a Windows Phone UI from 2013. Generally speaking, the interface is ok, because it’s not overloaded and is intuitive for those who used regular app.

Features 5/5

Since its main goal is to be clean and fast, Facebook Lite has most of its changes under the hood. It’s obvious that the app operates faster and the difference can be mainly observed on phones with low specs. Lags won’t be a problem now as you won’t find any resource-consuming animations when leaving a comment or hitting the like button.

Another great feature is that the app cuts data consumption. In the normal version’s newsfeed content pre-loads below the edge of the screen, while here new elements load only when you look at them. It’s also possible to download content only when you want to see it. All photos are actually compressed but the difference isn’t visible even on large screens. The video player was also simplified and videos play automatically only when there’s Wi-Fi enabled.

Facebook Lite is only 1.25 megabytes in size, which is roughly 2% of its original version (64 Mb). However, all main features here are still present so it’s definitely worth giving a shot if you experience lags, problems with the internet or space shortage.

Usability 4/5

Facebook Lite is not so smooth as the regular app but certainly does its function. It might look even better on phones with smaller screens because of larger icons and texts. Design is not that bad, it just not feels the same. It still has that individual look with white rectangles over the blue background but without any shades. All basic tabs are also preserved, although it’s not possible to swipe between them. The only way to switch between tabs is to click them.

Big changes have also come to the messenger. A few years ago Facebook forced all its users to download a separate Messenger app for chatting. In Lite version the original messaging function is there already, but it’s less attractive.

Compatibility 5/5

Facebook Lite for a long period was an Android exclusive. A few months ago the situation has changed and it was officially released on iOS. However, it didn’t gain such popularity, mainly because there’s not a big list of devices that run on iOS, as there are on Android. Nonetheless, the option is there on the table and the app is available on the majority of devices.

Summary

Facebook Lite is a great app that has all the original features in it. Yeah, the design was a bit simplified and the absence of animations makes scrolling slightly jerkier. Other than that, it’s a great choice for older phones and places where the internet connection is not very stable.