4 things you need to know about Astro AWANI Instant Articles on Facebook

Yes, it's true!

Facebook today announced the beta launch of Instant Articles in Asia and the good news is, Astro AWANI has signed on as a partner in this new initiative that is transforming the way people consume news.

A lightning bolt icon will mark all Instant Articles, so you can quickly tell them apart from regular posts.

Here are 4 things you need to know about Facebook Instant Articles:

1. Before Instant Articles, mobile readers would have to click on a link in their news feed then wait for the article to load in another web page. After Instant Articles, readers will see stories run within Facebook making for a seamless loading experience. According to Facebook, loading an Instant Article will be 10 times faster. The lightning bolt indicates it's an Instant Article.

2. Launched in May 2015, the first publishers included Buzzfeed, The New York Times, The National Geographic, The Atlantic, NBC News, The Guardian, BBC News, to name a few. Over the months, it has collaborated with a melange of ublishers in Europe and India before bringing it to South East Asia.

3. The interface offers a series of new creative tools that Facebook says will enrich every experience. You can zoom into high-resolution photos and tilt to explore in detail. You can also watch autoplay videos come alive as you scroll through the article. Interactive maps are also part of this product.

4. For now, Instant Articles are available to everyone who uses Facebook on iOS. Beta testing for Android is currently underway and will be available soon.

You can also click here for more on what Facebook Instant Articles has to offer.