Facebook has released a new version of its Android app called Facebook Lite, which is designed to provide a smooth and streamlined social networking experience on low-end devices. The app is intended for emerging markets, but anyone can download and install the APK.

Facebook Lite weighs in at just 262KB, and it’s essentially a snazzy wrapper for the Facebook web app. The app is said to be based on Snaptu, a service that Facebook acquired back in 2009 that allowed the network to be used on traditional feature phones.

Its main aim is to improve the Facebook experience on low-end Android devices with slower processors that may not have 3G connectivity, and it continues to provide features like push notifications and access to the camera for photo and video uploading.

Facebook Lite will be hugely important in markets like India and other Asia-Pacific countries, where low-cost smartphone sales are soaring. It gives those without fast data speeds the ability to access the biggest social network on the planet.

But it may be useful to Facebook fans in Western countries, too. While your high-end smartphone may be able to run the regular Facebook app without any issues, you may not need all of the features it brings and might prefer a snappier experience instead. It may also be ideal for those who live or work in rural areas where data connectivity isn’t so good.

Facebook Lite is officially only available in Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zimbabwe via Google Play — but you can download and install the APK manually via the links below from Android Authority.

Download links:

➤ Mega
➤ Google Drive