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Meta says Forum, its app for people who want to spend more time in Facebook Groups, is available to download in the United States on iOS and Android. The company is testing AI-assisted search, topic labels and a new role for members whose contributions help their communities.
Meta has introduced new features for Forum, its app for people who want to focus on Facebook Groups, and says the app is available in the United States on iOS and Android. The company is testing AI-assisted search, topic labels and a new member recognition role as it explores ways to help people find discussions and communities.
Forum syncs with a person’s Facebook groups and brings them together in one place, according to Meta. People can log in with their Facebook account to find groups they already belong to and discover new ones. Meta says it began testing the app in May 2026; it did not provide figures for downloads, users or participating groups in its announcement.
One feature, called Ask, uses AI to highlight existing posts and comments in Facebook groups in response to questions. Results can include conversations in groups a person has joined as well as public groups they have not joined. Meta says users can open a discussion from the results. The company is testing ways for Ask to gather recommendations when people compare choices and to suggest questions based on their recent searches.
Meta is also testing topic labels on posts, with examples including Solo Travel and Korean Food. Tapping a label can lead to other conversations on that topic. Separately, the company is testing a new role for members whose contributions it says help their group, such as answering questions, offering practical tips or starting discussions. The role replaces the previous contributor badges and group expert role, and includes a badge and posts that publish faster. Group admins can grant it, while Meta says it will nominate members to help admins identify candidates. Members can remove the role themselves, and posts remain subject to Meta’s Community Standards.
New Tools for Group Discovery
Forum gives Meta a dedicated place to bring together group conversations and tools, while keeping access tied to a Facebook account. For people who follow several groups, a single app could make it easier to find activity without moving between group pages. The announcement does not establish how many people want or will use a separate app, but its US availability makes the test accessible beyond a limited invitation group.
Ask could change how people search group discussions by surfacing existing posts and comments in response to a question. That may help users find advice drawn from other members’ experiences and can point them toward public groups. The answers are grounded in group material, Meta says; the announcement does not detail how the system selects, summarizes or checks that material, or how it handles conflicting responses.
The new recognition role also gives admins a way to identify and reward members whose posts help a community. Faster publishing is a stated benefit, but Meta has not explained how much faster posts appear or whether the feature changes the review process. The role’s success will depend in part on how admins use it and how members respond.
From Facebook Groups to Forum
Facebook Groups are communities organized around shared interests, activities or needs. Meta describes Forum as a purpose-built app for people who want to spend more time in those groups. Its announcement says the app syncs with users’ existing Facebook groups and can also help them discover new ones; it does not say Forum replaces Groups in the Facebook app.
Meta says it started testing Forum in May 2026 and is now introducing additional features. The company characterizes the app as something it is still exploring and says it plans to share more about tools for group admins in the coming weeks. The new member role is being tested on Forum in the US and on Facebook globally, according to the announcement.
Ask is designed to surface content already posted by group members, rather than present a separate directory of expert answers. Its results may draw from groups a person has joined and public groups they have not joined. Meta says users can move from an Ask result into the related discussion, connecting the search feature to the group conversation where the material appeared.
““Forum is a purpose-built app we’re exploring for the people who want to go deeper on Facebook Groups.””
— Meta
What Meta Has Not Disclosed
Meta has not released user numbers, adoption targets or a timetable for expanding Forum beyond the United States. It also has not said when testing will end or whether the app will remain separate from Facebook. The announcement provides no performance data for Ask or evidence about whether its suggestions help users find accurate or useful discussions.
Details about Ask’s safeguards and operation are also limited. Meta has not explained how the feature chooses posts, how it indicates the age or context of a discussion, or how it presents disagreement among members. The company says the feature uses existing posts and comments, but its announcement does not describe how users’ group content is handled when it appears in results.
The new recognition role is in testing, and its criteria may depend on how Meta and group admins assess contributions. Meta has not described how nominations are made, what standards admins will use, or whether the faster publishing benefit applies in every group. It is also unclear when the new role will replace existing badges for all eligible users.
More Testing and Admin Updates
People in the United States can download Forum on iOS and Android and sign in with a Facebook account, Meta says. The company says the Ask additions, topic labels and member recognition role are being tested; it has not given an end date or a schedule for wider availability.
Meta says it will share more about how it is building tools for group admins in the coming weeks. Further updates may clarify how admins manage the new role and how the app’s features develop, though the company has not specified what those updates will include.
Key Questions
What is Forum?
Forum is a Meta app for Facebook Groups. It syncs with a person’s groups and brings them together in one place, with tools to find discussions and discover communities.
Where can people download Forum?
Meta says Forum is available in the United States on iOS and Android. Users log in with their Facebook account.
What does Ask do?
Ask uses AI to highlight existing group posts and comments in response to questions. It can surface conversations from groups a person has joined and public groups they have not joined, according to Meta.
What is the new member role?
It is a role Meta is testing to recognize members whose contributions help their groups. It includes a badge and faster post publishing; admins can grant it, and members can remove it themselves.
Source: rss
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