Instagram For Android Gets Offline Mode; Users Can Now Comment And Like Without Internet

The Facebook F8 conference took place Tuesday. At the event, the Facebook-owned company announced a new feature for the Instagram app.

Content that previously showed “loading” on the app screen when the device was offline will now be visible to users, according Instagram engineer Hendri. Users will also be able to save media offline.

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Users will also be able to view profiles they have previously visited in the offline mode and posts that were loaded in the Explore tab.

The Instagram app for Android will now have offline support, TechCrunch reported Tuesday. The feature will help the apps' 600 million users, 80 percent of who are located outside the U.S. get a better experience with limited data connectivity and data plans. The company said that most of Instagram’s features will now be available to use offline — for example, when you like photo or post a comment offline on the app, it will be posted as soon as your device is connected to the internet.

The functionality has been rolled out on Android first, to address the app’s global audience, since it is the preferred OS in many developing countries. More offline features are expected to be rolled out in the coming months.

The feature is a part of Facebook’s efforts to cater to the developing world. The company launched a lighter version of Facebook, called Facebook Lite in 2015, which uses less data for letting users access the social network.

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These efforts are in a direct contrast to Snapchat, whose CEO is embroiled in a controversy over calling Indians “Poor.” While the company has denied the allegations made by a former employee, the app has suffered a setback in the country, with many users uninstalling it.