Meta is Shutting Down Messenger Lite for Android in September

Messenger Lite, a lightweight, simplified version of Messenger, is being discontinued by Meta. Beginning to appear is a message telling app users to “use Messenger to keep chatting.” For new users, the business has already taken the app out of the Google Play Store. Additionally, it won’t be accessible to current users after September 18th.

Starting on August 21, users of the Android software Messenger Lite will be redirected to Messenger or FB Lite in order to send and receive messages on Messenger, according to a representative for Meta.

Meta is Shutting Down Messenger Lite for Android in September

For users with less powerful Android devices, Meta released Messenger Lite for Android in 2016. To use less storage and processing resources, the software merely provides Messenger’s fundamental functionality.

It’s important to note that in 2020, the firm discontinued the Messenger Lite app for iOS users.

The aggregate global downloads of the Lite versions of the app were estimated at around 760 million by mobile analytics company data.ai. The biggest share came from India, followed by Brazil and Indonesia. By lifetime downloads, the United States came in at number eight.

Meta had already stated that Messenger will stop supporting SMS starting in the next month. When customers upgrade their app after September 28, 2023, they will no longer be able to use Messenger to send and receive SMS texts delivered via their cellular network, according to the business.

By the end of this year, end-to-end encryption will be made default for Messenger, according to a statement made by Meta earlier this week.