The app, called Forums, is “a dedicated space built for in-depth discussions, real answers, and community around the people you care about,” according to its App Store page.
In practice, it is a standalone app version of Facebook’s existing Groups feature, allowing Facebook users to join groups and participate in discussions. In the new standalone app, the feed focuses entirely on conversations happening in groups you’re already a part of on your existing Facebook account. The Forum and Facebook are still linked, meaning you can sign in to the Forum with your Facebook login, and anything you post there will also appear in your Groups on the Facebook app.
Some readers may be disappointed, and rightfully so, as this is Meta’s second attempt at launching a stand-alone Facebook Groups app. The company then known as Facebook launched a similar, dedicated app in 2014 that was ultimately shut down in 2017.
Perhaps to spice things up a bit, this time Meta is also including a dedicated AI assistant in the app. The “Ask” feature on the app will rely on information posted on group pages to respond to users looking for “opinions, advice or recommendations,” Meta said. There is also an additional AI assistant for group admins, which will reportedly help them with tasks like content moderation.
Some financial analysts considered the app a direct threat to Reddit, sending the company’s stock down more than 5% at the end of the day, but the apps’ existing user bases vary considerably. Either way, it’s too early to tell whether there will ultimately be significant user migration from Reddit to the forums.
This isn’t Meta’s first attempt at creating its own version of an already successful app or feature. The company released its Twitter competitor app Threads in 2023, and most recently, it introduced Instants, an Instagram app that aims to replicate the successes of Snapchat and Bareil with instant, disappearing photos.
Interestingly, this time Meta released the app with less fanfare. We didn’t get any major announcements or press releases. The app just appeared on the App Store, and some curious users have taken notice. Which raises the question, could this be the start of the AI-enabled flood of new apps that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly promised employees?
Late last month, the Wall Street Journal published an article detailing a companywide meeting in which Zuckerberg talked about Meta’s AI overhaul that has been used to justify a brutal round of layoffs. According to the report, Zuckerberg touted the efficiency gains from incorporating AI into workflows and said the company would now be able to “start more new projects” because of it. According to the report, those new projects include building more apps.
“So like Chris [Cox, Meta’s chief product officer] And I’m talking about, ‘Okay, can we create 50 new apps? Like, yes, maybe,” Zuckerberg was quoted as saying in the article. “But we should probably start with a few before trying to do 50 at once.”
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