Spotify Releases ‘Lite’ Version for Users in Regions With Slower Internet

Swedish music streaming company Spotify has recently released the ‘lite’ version of the Spotify app to make its entry into markets in regions with slower network and limited data.

The main spotify app requires 100mb of storage on the user’s device while the spotify lite requires only 10mb of space and comes with the major features that allow users to set data limit and receive a notification when the limit has been reached for users who need to be conscious of data usage.

The lite version also takes storage into consideration and allows users to clear their cache with a tap if they want to. Beyond the data limit and storage feature, the other major difference between the main spotify app and the lite version is the user interface design. The user library has been replaced with ‘favorites’ on the lite version.

With other major tech companies like Facebook, Twitter, Uber and Instagram also releasing the lite version of their major apps, spotify’s move is one of the company’s efforts to widen its revenue stream and give it much needed traction in markets like Africa, the middle East and Asia and also reassure investors about its growth prospects especially since its shares came down about 26% after a major rise a year ago.

One major reason the company is entering new markets with its lite version is to mitigate the effect that the royalties it pays on music rights has on its revenue. The music royalties take away about 60% for the revenue generated by spotify and is a major source of concern for the audio streaming company.

The spotify lite is currently available in 36 countries around Latin America, Africa, Asia and the middle East and can be downloaded from Google Play for use on every device running on Android version 4.3 or higher.