Meta has quietly launched a new stand-alone app called ‘Forum’ that is built around Facebook Groups, offering users a Reddit-like experience with built-in AI features.
Forum is designed to be “dedicated space built for deeper discussions, real answers and communities you care about,” the social media giant wrote in the app’s description. It is a free-to-download app that is currently only available for iOS users located in the United States. Forum is currently not available for download in other markets such as India.
While the app was not formally launched, it was reportedly first spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra.
The launch of Forum comes amid broader efforts by Meta to release more apps. Last month, the company launched ’ that lets users share disappearing photos with their friends on Instagram.
“We test lots of new products publicly to see what people find interesting and useful to their experiences across our apps,” Meta communications manager Feryal Hemamda was quoted as saying by The Verge on the launch of Forum.
Here’s everything we know so far about Meta’s new Forum app.
Forum reportedly requires users to sign in with their Facebook account. Once logged in, users are shown posts automatically pulled from the Facebook Groups they are a part of in a Reddit-like feed, along with profile details and activity.
Users can post on Forum under a nickname, similar to the standard Facebook app. Anything shared on Forum will be directly visible in the user’s groups on Facebook. Users can also post directly to specific groups and browse new Groups. According to Meta, Forum’s feeds are centered on conversations within groups, allowing users to see “what real people are saying, not just what’s trending,” and making it easy to pick up where they left off.
Besides the main feed, users can also view a mini version of their Facebook profile that just shows their group posts.
The app features a dedicated, AI-powered ‘Ask’ tab that lets users ask questions and receive answers compiled from discussions across different groups.
The results also include the original posts referenced in the AI-generated response, so that users can tap them to view the full conversation around those posts. It further shows suggestions to join new Facebook Groups.
Group Admins can also leverage an admin AI assistant to help manage Groups and moderate content.
Forum is one of two new apps from Meta in recent weeks.
Last month, Meta-owned Instagram launched a new app as well as an integrated feature called Instants for casual photo sharing without edits or filters. The Instants feature appears inside Instagram’s direct messages section and allows users to quickly send photos that disappear after being viewed by friends.
Meanwhile, the separate Instants app is being tested in select countries on iOS and Android.
Following the release of Forum, several users have pointed out that Meta (then-Facebook) had similarly rolled out a dedicated Facebook Groups app that aimed to make it easier for users to share content across groups back in 2014. However, the app was shuttered after three years.
Meta might launch more stand-alone social apps in the near future, and the key reason for that could be the rise of AI coding and web development tools.
In a recent meeting, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees that the company aims to roll out many more apps than it has historically enabled by AI-driven efficiencies, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“So Chris and I have been talking about ‘all right, well can we build 50 new apps?’ Like, yeah probably. But we probably should start by doing a few before we just, like, ramp up trying to do 50 all at once,” Zuckerberg was quoted as saying, referring to Meta’s chief product officer Chris Cox.
However, it is unclear if consumers really want more apps in the agentic AI era, especially when Meta’s newer launches feel heavily inspired by existing platforms. For instance, apps like Instants have drawn clear comparisons with Snapchat and BeReal while Meta Edits is said to closely mirror ByteDance’s Cap Cut in terms of concept and functionality. Threads is also seen as Meta’s take on X, formerly known as Twitter.
