Twitter gets faster on mobile for users short on data

Dive Brief:

• Twitter has introduced a swifter Progressive Web App version of its mobile website called Twitter Lite, according to a blog post from the company. Available globally at mobile.twitter.com, Twitter Lite is designed to use less data and storage space, and support push notifications and offline usage. 
• Twitter proclaimed Twitter Lite will load in under five seconds over 3G on most devices. The Verge said the social media company intends it for emerging markets where residents have poor connectivity. It noted Twitter Lite’s response rate is still slower than Twitter’s native iOS and Android apps. Otherwise, the experiences are similar. 
• Over the coming months, Twitter said it will be updating Twitter Lite to improve accessibility, safety, design, functionality and performance.  

Dive Insight:

Under fire for its user base plateauing, Twitter is angling to expand its geographic reach. Its new mobile web app Twitter Lite is expressly aimed at international users lacking the cellphone capacity of their American and European counterparts. Indian Express reported it’s accessible in 42 languages, and a Reuters article identified Indonesia, the Philippines, Brazil and Mexico as countries where Twitter Lite is expected to be impactful. Twitter’s largest and fast-growing audience is in India, Maya Hari, Managing Director of Asia Pacific for Twitter, told Indian Express. 

Twitter Lite takes up less than 1MB of storage space. Patrick Traughber, a Twitter product manager, elaborated in the Reuters article that Twitter Lite consumes up to 70% less data than Twitter’s former mobile website, although a 40% data savings is the norm. The reduction in data usage comes in part from pictures initially showing up as blurred previews rather than being presented as full pictures.

Twitter is joining a number of its social-media competitors in unleashing faster mobile services. Facebook released Facebook Lite in 2015, and YouTube has launched a quicker mobile option for India dubbed YouTube Go.