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Comment by pmlnr | Hacker News Reader

If you have to use FB, just stick to https://mbasic.facebook.com - JS free version. Fast, ugly, works.

BTW the error is not present with FF + uBlock Origin.

EDIT: there is a less know FB app, called Facebook Lite. When you try to install it, you'll get a "This app is incompatible with all of your devices." - which is not true. It's fully compatible, you're just not in the eligible geolication. To get it: http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/facebook-2/lite/lite-53-0-0-3-9...

It's an alternative, tiny app, without the bloat of the "true" FB app, aimed at developing countries where smartphones are much less powerful.

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I must say that i find it highly ironic that the likes of Facebook and Google have in recent years been introducing lite sites and apps for the third world. Site and apps that in the process rip out most of what the rest of us want to see gone as well.

You can find Messenger lite APK directly on Facebook's website: https://m.facebook.com/android/mlite

No, I can't: http://i.imgur.com/MjuW9ur.png

only for germany and africa (both have wierd data plans) (p.s. messenger lite for germany is real, i.e. the site is correctly translated & such, so that's not a joke.)

Even with the Lite app I would recommend blocking all or most of the app permissions before you run the app the first time. Otherwise Facebook will slurp up your contacts, texts, location, etc. You can block most of it since Android 6.0 by going into System Settings -> Apps -> Lite app -> Permissions -> turn everything off.

Why would anyone install this spyware? That they would lie about incompatibility to prevent legitimate users shows how unethical this company is. And yeah, I do mean that FB is a spyware.

They've recently expanded the devices and locations where the app is available through play store, so check there again before side loading the app.

Same. I always use https://m.facebook.com although I access it via desktop browser. It's fast.

I remember there is Facebook Lite for desktop version. I think it's not available right now.

this is really great. never knew this existed, thanks for sharing.

no frills, quick page load on mobile, just right.

And messages still work, unlike on the m. version.

Try Tinfoil for Facebook or twitter (names of apps) wrap webview. Minimum permissions.

Great! I used m.facebook.com before but it doesn't support chat.

You can use your browser to "request desktop site" briefly while you chat, and then switch it off. There is no technical reason that it doesn't work, but Facebook gonna face.

I remember the day they turned it off. Then for awhile on my device the request desktop site move used to fix mobile chat, without changing anything else (still served mobile site I mean) which was fine. Then they took that away too. Still haven't downloaded the app.

Download firefox if you are on android! chat works on m.facebook.com on firefox but not on chrome.

I haven't used Facebook for messages since they turned it off in the mobile browser.

In the beginning it was annoying but people quickly started texting me instead.

Now if people would only start organizing events somewhere else then I could abandon Facebook completely.

messenger.com supports chat!

It does only on desktop, which you can already do on the main facebook site. The issue is how they Facebook removed messenging from m.facebook.com and the standard FB app.

Personally, I use mbasic.facebook.com for FB messages on my phone.

Whaaaaat? Messenger's website is blatantly an iPad Master/Detail UI and they block you from accessing it on an iPad. That's a special kind of stupid.

I did just check, messenger.com gives you an App Store link for the messenger app and is definitely not accessible.

Request Desktop Site works on iPad, but when I tried it on an iPhone I got a spinny wheel where the login boxes should be. YMMV.

You can have messenger.com open in a separate tab/window if you want use the chat and mobile facebook simultaneously.

I never knew that existed. It's first time I used Facebook on an old machine without the fan coming on. Thanks for that!

facebook lite is also super lite on data usage. They had a whole article a while back about how they got high-quality profile & banner pictures without sucking up the user's data.

This is really nice!

Thanks a lot !

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