Uber Lite launched in India, competes with Ola Lite with an offering of a 5 MB file size and offline features

**Uber** has launched it’s a lighter version of its ride-hailing app called Uber Lite in India. The app will only be available in India at launch and will reach be launched other emerging markets in the future. In India as well, the app will first be available to riders in Delhi, Jaipur and Hyderabad followed by other cities. [caption id=“attachment_4507139” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Uber Lite launch in India.[/caption] Uber Lite weighs in at only 5 MB, which is mighty light in size in comparison to the standard Uber Android that is 40 MB in size and the iOS version of the app that stands at a hefty 182 MB. Being the lightest app available across mobile platforms, Uber’s competitor in India, Ola has an **Ola Lite** Android app that is just 1 MB in size. Heft aside, the app is a stripped-down version of the standard app both in terms of features and the user interface. The 5 MB size means it easier to download and does not works on more affordable smartphones with lesser RAM. The watered-down version of the app will also work on devices running Android 4.1 and higher OS. In short, it covers devices that were made before 2014 as well, which is impressive. [caption id=“attachment_4507141” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Uber Lite launch in India.[/caption] When you open the Uber Lite, app you will not be greeted with smooth animations with a minimalist-looking map and animated cars running over it. The map view is now optional and a user can enable it only if needed. The interface is text-based and reads more like a timeline of notifications, which is more similar to watchOS or wearOS apps than a smartphone-based interface. [caption id=“attachment_4507143” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Uber Lite launch in India.[/caption] This also makes the app lighter and faster to browse through while sipping on minimal data. Talking about data, the Lite app heavily relies on GPS location (it has to be very accurate since it does not show users a map) and will cache the city’s top spots meaning that it will work even when a user is offline. Other bonus features include language selection and the ability to place ride requests without network connectivity are expected to arrive to the Uber Lite app shortly.