LinkedIn has launched a stripped down version of its service as a mobile app that takes up only 1MB space, reports TechCrunch. The Android app named LinkedIn Lite is now live in India and the company plans to extend it to 60 other countries. The lite version is aimed at countries where Internet connection is slow or unreliable. LinkedIn claims that the app reduces data usage by 80%, loads pages in under 5 seconds even on a 2G network. A LinkedIn spokesperson told TechCrunch that the app won’t be available on iOS anytime soon. Apart from faster load speeds, LinkedIn Lite will have all other basic features including news feed, jobs, profile, LinkedIn networks/groups, messaging, notifications, and a search option. These features will, however, contain less graphic animations and other features that might consume a lot of data, the report added. Note that LinkedIn Lite was initially debuted as a mobile website in India last year, along with two other India specific launches. The Microsoft owned service currently claims to have 500 million users. An Economic Times report added that LinkedIn has already tested the Lite app in other markets, and it claims to have delivered a higher growth in user engagement. The company added that the Lite version which was launched in India last year, saw growth coming in from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, with engagement rates going up by three-fold. It’s worth noting that it’s not just LinkedIn that has been trying to penetrate the Indian market…
