Facebook's Lite App Gets Community Help Feature For Disaster Relief

Since 2015, Facebook has offered a Lite version of its app for users who, for any reason, need to cut down on data usage or do not have access to things like LTE networks. The social media giant announced Monday that the Facebook Lite app would get access to the site’s Community Help feature, which lets users communicate to their loved ones that they are safe in the event of a disaster, according to Bloomberg.

Facebook showed off the feature during a hurricane-focused forum in Miami on Monday. The safety check is only one aspect of Community Help, as users who have things like room to spare in their homes can use the feature to give shelter to those in need after disasters.

Facebook initially started letting users mark themselves as safe after devastating in 2014. In 2017, the site added a permanent, separate tab for safety checks, complete with the ability to not only offer help, but donate to charities doing recovery work.

The Lite version of Facebook, on the other hand, launched three years ago and gives users a stripped-down experience that uses less data than the traditional app. It was originally meant for countries without abundant access to fast, wireless internet or up-to-date mobile devices. However, in March of this year, Facebook released the app in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and a number of other western countries.

Unfortunately for iOS users, Facebook Lite is only available on Android at the moment. It can be found on the Google Play store.

The addition of Community Help to Facebook Lite comes as Hurricane Florence is set to pummel the southeastern U.S. on Thursday.

Citizens have been ordered to evacuate in the Carolinas and Virginia. Florence may bring winds of 150 miles per hour, according to reports.

Facebook’s introduction of the feature to its Lite app came at a Miami event, a year after Hurricane Irma hit the area. One user in attendance used Community Help to offer shelter in Houston to those who were displaced by Hurricane Harvey, Bloomberg reported.