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Meta Quietly Releases Forum, a Standalone App for Facebook Groups

The iOS test turns Facebook Groups into a focused feed and uses AI to pull answers from across communities.

Overview

  • The app was first spotted on Friday, May 22, when it quietly appeared on Apple’s App Store as a limited public test rather than through a formal Meta announcement.
  • Forum requires a Facebook login and imports a user’s groups, profile and activity so posts made in Forum sync back to Facebook and vice versa.
  • Users can post with a nickname while group administrators retain access to real identities, a design that trades some pseudonymity for moderator control.
  • Two AI features are built into the app: an 'Ask' tool that compiles answers drawn from posts across a user’s groups and an AI assistant that helps admins manage moderation tasks.
  • Investors and analysts reacted quickly, with Reddit shares falling about 6% on concerns Forum could lure casual community users; key unknowns remain around wider rollout, Android availability, moderation policy and privacy.