Facebook’s Instant Articles, which enables users to load certain stories in their news feed “ten times faster than a standard mobile web article”, launched in Latin America and Asia for iOS users.

An update for Android is promised soon.

In LatAm, Facebook is partnering with 40 media organisations in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico, while in Asia it is working with around 24 media outlets in 11 countries.

“Expanding Instant Articles to Asia is a significant milestone for the product and for each of our early launch partners,” said Andy Mitchell, director of global media partnerships.

“Instant Articles has been designed with extensive feedback from publishers, and we’re excited to bring this collaboration to our publishing partners in Asia,” he added.

As for LatAm, more than 80 per cent of Facebook users access the platform from mobile devices, he said, and Instant Articles “offers them a better experience and more possibilities of interaction for news”.

Partners in Asia who have started using the service include CCTVNEWS in China, Hindustan Times in India and Rappler in the Philippines. Some 30 more, such as Vogue Taiwan and China Daily, will go live with Instant Articles “soon”.

Instant Articles will also be open to a wider group of publishers in India in the months to come, following the beta launch.

When initially launched for the iPhone in October, the social media giant said Instant Articles “provides a richer reading experience than standard mobile web articles, with features that make the content more fluid, interactive and immersive”.

As Facebook looks to defend its position against rival social and news apps, it also introduced the Notify app, which delivers tailored news content to users.