Meta is killing off the Messenger Lite app for Android in a matter of weeks
For anyone with an older, cheaper and less powerful Android device, the Lite version of Messenger has been something of a lifeline. The stripped-back, resource-light version of its big sibling was specifically designed to run well on lesser hardware, but now Meta has decided to kill it off.
Messenger Lite, once known as Facebook Messenger Lite, has been around for a number of years, but Meta is giving users just a few weeks' notice about the app being discontinued. The closure comes despite the app having millions of users.
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Users of Messenger Lite have recently been shown in-app notifications informing them that they will need to "use Messenger to keep chatting". The Android version of the app is being treated to the same fate as the iOS version which was killed off back in 2020.
Although no big announcement has been made about the shuttering of the Android app, a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch:
Starting August 21, people using the Messenger Lite app for Android will be directed to Messenger or FB Lite to send and receive messages on Messenger.
If you try to find Messenger Lite in the Google Play Store, you will find that it has already been removed. For anyone who is currently using the app to keep in touch with people, the cut-off date is September 18, after which it will cease to work.
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