Joining the industry giants in offering a solution for the low-end devices and users in poor connectivity areas, Indian ride-sharing service Ola has announced the launch of the Ola Lite app in the Play Store.
Similar to the recently released Google Maps Go, Ola Lite is also a progressive web app (PWA) and not a native app.
“Lite is extremely quick and nimble in functioning with lightening fast reflexes. Taking an obsessive approach to optimize every little element in the app, Lite makes the booking experience seamless by employing features such as mobile number based signup instead of email, the app brings all fares upfront allowing the user to choose what works best for them, a crisp and clear ride information screen, and offering navigation on demand to save on data loads,” Ola explained in a press release.
According to Ola, the Ola Lite will work well even with the poorest of the internet connectivity and being a PWA, the app size is less than 1MB. The app offers pretty much all the feature that you would find in the main Ola app. It allows you to books normal cabs, share rides, outstation cabs as well as rentals. It also supports payments from all the usual methods including Ola Money.
Although Ola is not the first Indian service provider to offer a lightweight version of its app, it is good to see them taking into account the connectivity issues in the tier two and three cities in the country. Apart from Ola, Just Dial also provides a Lite app. In addition to the Indian service providers, the tech giants like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter as well as popular Android apps like Clean Master and Camera 360 have also released lightweight versions of their apps in the Play Store. With the impending release of the Android Go devices, I am hoping to see more Lite versions of the apps pop up in the Play Store.
