News

Instagram Lite Delivers All Essential Features In Just 2 MB

Published

5 years ago

March 18, 2021

Instagram users in more than 170 countries can now download a lite version of the Instagram app from the Google Play Store. The app, called simply Instagram Lite, delivers all essential features the photo and video sharing social network has to offer while using up only 2 MB of storage space.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Instagram users have lost access to high-speed internet networks, forcing them to rely on slow and often expensive mobile data instead. One of these users was Michelle Lourie, who’s also a product manager at Facebook.

Working in Israel, she and her team in Tel Aviv collaborated with a New York-based team to develop a lighter alternative to the Instagram app, one that would work great even on low-end Android devices without any major compromises.

“No matter where they are, people want to be entertained and inspired by those that they love. It’s difficult to do that on Instagram with an entry-level phone that has storage constraints,” said Lourie in a statement. “We wanted the Instagram experience to remain fast, high-quality, and reliable, irrespective of the device, platform, and network people are on,” added Tzach Hadar, Director of Product Management at Facebook Tel Aviv.

Also Read: Instagram Music Is Finally Available In The Middle East

After a year of development, Instagram Lite was born. The new app requires users to download only 2 MB of data (the full-size version is approximately 30 MB large), but it offers just about all essential features, including photo and video uploads, creative tools, instant messaging, and more.

Facebook

Additional features will be introduced in future updates. For example, the app’s developers are already working on a dark mode option after receiving countless requests from early users. For people who live in communal areas and close quarters, it’s really important to browse more privately and not bother those around them,” explained Lourie.

News

Syria Just Got Its First Super App Featuring Built-In Digital Payments

Built by UAE-based Syrian founders with the Ministry of Tourism’s backing, My Syria lands as visitor numbers more than double.

Published

4 days ago

August 1, 2026

Nour Nasir

syria just got its first super app featuring built-in digital payments

For most of the past decade, paying for anything in Syria with an international card was effectively impossible. Sanctions, a collapsed banking sector, and years of isolation left the country running on cash. That is what makes the launch of My Syria — the country’s first super app — more than a routine product announcement.

Developed by 121 Living, a company founded by four UAE-based Syrian entrepreneurs — Rami Kaiem, Feras Kaiem, Waseem Qudmani, and Kinan Madi — the app launched in Damascus on July 30 under the patronage of Minister of Tourism Mazen Al-Salhani. It bundles hotels, restaurants, transport, attractions, food delivery, and other lifestyle services into a single platform, currently offering eight services with plans to expand to more than 40 verified tourism and hospitality providers across the country.

Although the app already sounds enticing, the headline feature is its built-in payments. My Syria is the first platform in Syria to support cross-border digital payments through Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express — familiar tools for international visitors, and a route into the digital economy for local businesses that have long operated outside it.

my syria super app launch event

The launch rides on a sharp rebound for the troubled country. Syria’s tourism sector recorded 3.52 million visitor arrivals in the first half of 2026, a 111 percent increase over the 1.67 million during the same period in 2025 — a mix of returning expatriates, regional visitors, and international tourists.

Also Read: This UAE Platform Wants To Replace Fashion Photo Shoots With AI

The Ministry of Tourism, which supported and supervised the app’s development, frames the launch as proof of concept for a wider strategy. “Digital transformation is one of the Ministry’s strategic priorities because it enables us to build a more competitive, connected and investment-ready tourism sector,” Al-Salhani said, inviting technology companies “globally, regionally and locally” to explore opportunities across the wider economy.

For 121 Living, this is phase one, with additional services and expanded geographic coverage planned. Whether a super app can flourish in a market still rebuilding its infrastructure is an open question, but for the first time in years, a visitor to Damascus can pay for dinner with their phone.