After an extensive testing in the Philippines, Twitter is ready to launch the Lite version of its mobile app to countries outside of the United States.
The Lite version of the Twitter app will be similar to Facebook Lite. It is designed to consume as least data as possible. This helps with the use of the app in countries where there are unstable mobile connections.
People in countries that mostly use 2G or 3G connections for mobile will significantly benefit from the app. Twitter has made the Lite version so that it becomes "more resilient on unreliable mobile networks."
In addition to helping users with limited mobile data, it is expected that Twitter Lite will boost the number of the website's users all over the world. After the initial test launch of the app in the Philippines, research reveals that the app proved to be popular among Android users. There was a 50 percent increase in tweet volume during the time of the said test.
When rolled out to countries outside the United States, this could mean an even more prominent market share for the social media platform. It should be noted that an estimated 80 percent of Twitter's 330 million users reside outside of the United States.
The Lite version of the app will be rolled out to 24 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Latin America. These include countries like Algeria, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand, and Venezuela.
The release of Twitter Lite can also mean financial promise for the company. Twitter's stock price has remained constant for the past year, fluctuating at around $20. However, this is still far from their peak stock price in 2014 which amounted to $69 per share.
Lite versions of apps are slowly gaining popularity in countries with limited mobile data usage. Facebook released a similar Lite version for its mobile app in 2015.
