Facebook has just released a ‘Lite’ version of their app on the Google Play store that is meant to use less data and work on even slower mobile data networks. The app is aimed at low-end Android devices and targeted towards users in developing markets like Nepal and Bangladesh where 2G mobile data is still prevalent.

Facebok Lite has a download size of only 280KB with a total installation size of just over 1MB. Despite its small size, the app offers the full Facebook experience, including the ability to share updates & photos, viewing your notifications and more. Surprisingly, the app also allows you to send messages to your friend, which is missing from the full fledged version of the app.

The app has been designed for 2G networks and is “quick to load.” Basically, it is the exact opposite of the official Facebook app for Android, which is extremely bloated and slow to load. However, the performance of the app is not up to the mark with scrolling in the app being extremely jittery on my Nexus 5 running Lollipop.

As of now, Facebook has only released the app in selected countries, including Africa, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is unclear if the social networking giant plans on making the app available to other regions of the world or not. Nevertheless, you can always sideload the app by download its APK from here.

• Google Play StoreFacebook Lite