Shazam Lite is a stripped-down 1MB music tagging app, available only in select countries

Following in the footsteps of Facebook Messenger, Shazam is releasing a ‘Lite’ version of its popular music identification app. The under-1MB app includes just the bare essentials and is optimized for 2G networks. Unfortunately, it’s only available in select countries on the Play Store, and sideloading the APK also doesn’t work.

Shazam Lite has the same basic UI as the regular app. A gigantic button starts the listening process with a history of tagged tunes available in a list below, and a new offline mode records and saves audio until a connection is re-established. The app is particularly optimized for 2G connections and slower internet speeds found in developing countries.

Compared to the full app, the Lite version lacks all of Shazam’s social features, including a feed of tags and videos from famous artists, trending charts, and the ability to connect to Facebook. It also lacks the ability to identify advertisements and TV shows that include Shazam barcodes.

Unlike the “Lite” Facebook and Facebook Messenger app, Shazam cannot simply be sideloaded as it only works in specific regions. That’s a shame as the main app is quite bloated and can be occasionally slow to load.

Shazam was recently in the news for reaching a billion downloads across various platforms and finally achieving profitability.