Connecting Africa is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 3099067.

Digital Entertainment

Spotify Lite Launches in Africa

Article Image
Music streaming service Spotify has launched a 'Lite' version for emerging markets around the world, which is now available in South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

Spotify Lite is "a small, fast, and simplified version" that works much like the main Spotify app but with a few extra features that ensure it uses less storage, data and battery to optimize performance. This makes it more suitable for the older devices and operating systems used by many African users and keeps the price of using the app down.

"Music is meant to be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of your network connectivity, data plan, and whether or not you have the latest phone," Spotify said in a statement about the new data-light version of the app.

"Spotify Lite was built from the ground up based on user feedback from around the world, allowing millions more to enjoy the world’s best music experience -- especially in areas with limited bandwidth and phone storage," said Kalle Persson, senior product manager at Spotify.

The Spotify Lite app only takes up 10MB of storage on a device, compared to the around 90MB of the original app, and enables the user to set a data limit and get a notification when that limit is reached, a feature that is key for African markets where data prices can still be prohibitive.

Other tech companies such as Facebook, Uber and YouTube have already found success with their 'Lite' low-bandwidth, low-footprint apps for emerging markets.

Lite can be downloaded by both free and Spotify Premium users and used either alongside or independently from the main Spotify app on all Android phones running version 4.3 or higher.

Spotify now has more than 200 million monthly active users worldwide, of which more than 100 million pay for Spotify Premium.

Spotify Lite is now available for Android devices in 36 markets across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, with more markets and features to follow. Currently the Lite version is not available for iPhone users.

So far in Sub-Saharan Africa it is only available in South Africa but in North Africa you can get access to it in Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

Spotify Lite is also available in: Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Oman, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, India.

— Paula Gilbert, Editor, Connecting Africa

Innovation hub

Story

Hot startup of the month: Nigeria's Tech Herfrica

Connecting Africa's hot startup is Nigeria's Tech Herfrica, a social impact organization that focuses on the digital and financial inclusion of women and girls in rural areas of Nigeria.

Story

Omdia View: February 2024

Highlights in February 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included 5G launches in Senegal and 5G trials in Egypt as well as Kenya's first 5G MVNO. Airtel also launched a new wholesale connectivity business while MTN and Huawei are planning a joint Innovation Technology Lab in South Africa – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

More Innovation hub

Latest video

More videos

Partner perspectives

All Partner Perspectives

Sponsored video

More videos

Industry announcements

More Industry announcements

Upcoming events

Africa Tech Festival 2024
November 11-14, 2024
Cape Town, South Africa
More Upcoming events

Africa Tech Perspectives

Story

Uber's Marjorie Saint-Lot on inclusion and sustainability in Africa

Uber's Country Manager for Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, Marjorie Saint-Lot, shares how the ride-hailing company is approaching public-private partnerships, environmentally friendly initiatives and gender inclusion in Africa.

Story

The 100 most influential African leaders in 2023

A new report from Africa Tech Festival and Connecting Africa puts a spotlight on the top 100 African leaders in the telecoms and technology sector in 2023.

Story

Deep dive into East Africa's tech startup ecosystem

New survey reveals a lack of access to investors, reliance on international VCs and global recession trends as the biggest barriers for East African tech startups to access funds.

More Africa Tech perspectives

Guest Perspectives

Story

Omdia View: February 2024

By Omdia Analysts

Highlights in February 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included 5G launches in Senegal and 5G trials in Egypt as well as Kenya's first 5G MVNO. Airtel also launched a new wholesale connectivity business while MTN and Huawei are planning a joint Innovation Technology Lab in South Africa – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

Story

Omdia View: January 2024

By Omdia Analysts

Highlights in January 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included a $200 million fintech deal between MTN and Mastercard as well as 5G network trials by Telecom Egypt – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

More Guest Perspectives

Like us on Facebook

Newsletter Sign Up


Sign Up
Tag id test-002